ESPN’s 3o for 30 went out on top Saturday night.
Thaddeus D. Matula’s Pony Excess, on the SMU football program, earned a 1.8 rating (1,843,000 million homes, 2.517,000 viewers) according to Nielsen. It’s ESPN’s most-watched documentary of all-time.
Thanks to the Hesiman Trophy presentation lead-in, Pony Excess edged out The U (1,801,000 homes, 2.368,000 viewers) and The Best That Never Was (1,760,000 homes, 2,229,000 viewers).
Overall, the 30 for 30 series averaged a 1.0 rating (958,000 homes, 1,193,000 viewers).
“Storytelling is at the heart of what ESPN does – whether on TV, online, radio or in print – in our features, game summaries, event productions or, of course, documentaries,” said John Skipper, executive vice president, content, ESPN. “The positive feedback from media and fans shows there is an audience for long-form, high-quality storytelling, and it belongs on ESPN.”