Grasping for content for its network, ESPN aired replays of UFC PPVs, last year’s Wrestlemania and Fury-Wilder I and II. The ratings have been surprising.
On Saturday, ESPN aired the UFC all day highlighted by UFC 244 featuring Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz. The replay of the full event on Saturday night drew 725,000 viewers. In addition, a replay of the Kelvin Gastelum-Israel Adesanya card from UFC 236 drew 410,000 viewers and another 168,000 in the A18-49 demo during the 6pm ET time slot. Preceding that time slot, a UFC Fight Flashback featuring McGregor-Diaz 1 drew 341,000 and 133,000 in the A18-49 demo.
On Sunday, the network aired Wrestlemania 30 which emanated from New Orleans six years ago. The replay drew 839,000 viewers with 405,000 in the A18-49 demo tuning in.
On Monday night, ESPN ran in succession the Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury fights. The first fight between the two drew 356,000 viewers in the 7:00pm ET time slot. The second fight drew 447,000 viewers in the 8:00pm time slot. Wilder-Fury II featured the complete under card as opposed to their first encounter.
Ratings per Nielsen via ShowBuzz Daily.
Payout Perspective:
With live sports on a hiatus, there’s a void that must be filled. The ratings for UFC on Saturday are good considering most MMA fans already saw the events and the casual viewer likely tuned in briefly or specifically for the main event. Wrestlemania on Sunday showed strong ratings while Wilder-Fury was surprisingly low.
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