Pop Culture

After The Last Dance, ESPN Moves Up Three More Major Sports Movies

Under the guidance of Geist and Connor Schell, the executive vice president for content at the network, ESPN has produced original films and series for years, winning critical acclaim and even an Academy Award for 2016’s 10-part documentary film, O.J.: Made In America. But none of its previous movies have connected with audiences like The Last Dance.

Originally set to premiere in June to coincide with the NBA playoffs, the Jason Hehir series was moved up two months to fill a programming void left by the cancellation of all major live sporting events. The decision paid off: The Last Dance has averaged 5.8 million viewers per episode on linear television since its two-part debut on April 19, a 62% increase from the network’s next closest competitor, a 2012 film on Bo Jackson. On social media, The Last Dance has similarly dominated the conversation, averaging 5.6 million total engagements a week across Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, according to data reported by ESPN. As a result, The Last Dance has turned into a communal live-television experience usually reserved for actual sports games.

“Not every project has the same goals, but we’ve always tried to think about topics and work with storytellers that are going to appeal largely to everyone,” Schell told Vanity Fair of ESPN’s overall approach. “And my hope is that as we continue to push forward with nonfiction storytelling, one of the great outcomes of The Last Dance is that hopefully more people will recognize that ESPN does a lot of this work, and we’ve done a lot of this work for a long time. It’s not just for hard-core sports fans.”

Where to Watch The Last Dance

While major sports leagues have floated the idea of returning to play games this summer, none are close to actually restarting on-field competition. According to reports, the earliest Major League Baseball could resume is late June or early July; conversations about when the NBA could restart its suspended season remain in flux. Even the NFL, still months away from its regular season, is far from guaranteed to kick-off by September (though that remains the plan). In the most optimistic scenario, where all pro leagues return by August, they will all but certainly be playing to empty or partially filled stadiums. It’s out of these circumstances that ESPN has shifted its priorities, for now, to focus on programming alternatives.

On Sunday night, for instance, SportsCenter host Scott Van Pelt began his show by talking about the most recent episode of The Last Dance with NBA legend Charles Barkley. On Monday morning, director Spike Lee appeared on the Disney-owned ABC’s Good Morning America to discuss Jordan. Chatter about the series has become a hallmark of sports-focused shows on ESPN and beyond. (Former ESPN talent Bill Simmons has spent weeks discussing Jordan and The Bulls on his eponymous podcast on The Ringer.) The hope is that by bringing viewers three additional films on some of the biggest sports figures from the past 50 years, the broad interest in watching ESPN on Sunday nights will continue.

“I definitely think there’s a little lightning in a bottle with The Last Dance,” Geist admitted. “But we’re really motivated to push these three projects because we believe in them so much and because the topics are pretty universal and pretty massive as well.”

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