ESPN turned over its programming schedule, not to mention its ad sales department, to LeBron James on July 8. The move to air The Decision—an hour-long special at 9 p.m. during which James picked his future NBA team (the Miami Heat)—paid off in buzz and ratings (a 7.3 in the overnights, the largest non-NFL stat this year), but not necessarily financially.
After network executives promised that James’ announcement would come in the first 10–15 minutes of the show, it wasn’t until around 9:27 p.m.
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