ESPN scores a huge ratings win with its Michael Jordan documentary, Last Dance. The sports broadcaster may soon have another unconventional hit on its hands as it also planning to host an ESPN Valorant invitational event with pros from games like Overwatch and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
Data from Nielsen reveals that the first two episodes of ESPN's 10-part Michael Jordan documentary had an average of 6.1 million viewers across ESPN and ESPN 2. The first two episodes of Last Dance, which follows the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls team, are the two most-viewed original content broadcasts from ESPN since 2004.
The broadcaster chose to move the release of Last Dance from June to April as COVID-19 meant that most sports league have been suspended. It is one of several broadcasters to make changes to its content schedule as new networks like VENN, which will show original gaming content, plan to launch sooner than expected.
This ratings win is great news for ESPN and parent company Disney which have been rocked by the pandemic. It has been confirmed that Disney CEO Bob Iger has chosen to stay in his post after announcing his resignation earlier this year. Iger will be trying to find ways to save the company money as its biggest revenue-makers, ESPN and the rest of its TV department being one of them, have all been affected.
Source: Variety
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