Might be time to put the ESPYS back on ESPN.
With a 0.9 rating in the key 18-49 demographic, Wednesday’s 2018 ESPY Awards on ABC plummeted 36 percent from last year’s 1.4. To make matters worse, the 2017 version had already sunk 18 percent year over year in that all-important age range.
In terms of overall TV audiences, last night’s 3.9 million total viewers was off 26 percent from the prior July’s best-in-sports celebration. Danica Patrick emceed the event this time around.
The 2016 broadcast was already down 36 percent in the demo and 31 percent overall. The prior year featured the first post-transition public appearance by Arthur Ashe Courage Award recipient Caitlin Jenner.
Last year had marked new lows for the annual ABC presentation — those just got shattered, and in the bad way.
Read the rest of Wednesday’s broadcast TV ratings here.