UFC Fight Night 170 Averages 672,000 Viewers on ESPN
By: Tristen Critchfield Mar 17, 2020
Despite being the only live sporting event on television, ratings
for UFC Fight
Night 170 weren’t exactly stellar.
According to figures released by
ShowBuzz Daily, UFC Fight Night 170 averaged 672,000 viewers
this past Saturday, the lowest figure ever for a card televised on
ESPN. The card took place at Nelson Nilson Gymnasium in Brasilia,
Brazil and saw Charles
Oliveira submit Kevin Lee in
the lightweight main event. Fans were not allowed in the venue due
to coronavirus concerns.
The previous low for a UFC card televised on ESPN came when UFC on
ESPN 5 averaged 680,000 viewers for a main card headlined by
Robbie
Lawler and Colby
Covington.
However, while other cards with the UFC on ESPN designation aired
primarly on the Worldwide Leader’s main channel, UFC Fight Night
170 was also streamed on ESPN+ and broadcast on ESPN Deportes,
which could have divided the audience. Additionally, figures
released by ShowBuzz Daily do not included separate ratings for the
preliminary card and the main card. The audience typically tends to
increase as the preliminary card transitions to the main draw
UFC Fight Night 170 began at 3 p.m. ET. The event was originally
supposed to stream exclusively on ESPN+, but broadcast plans
changed when ESPN lost other programming content once most major
sports organizations suspended operations due to the coronavirus
outbreak.