ESPN Draws Its Lowest Wimbledon Men's Final Audience Yet, But Women See Increase

ESPN drew 1.79 million viewers for Andy Murray's three-set win over Milos Raonic in the men's final at Wimbledon last Sunday, marking the net's lowest figure since it acquired full rights prior to the '12 event. It also is the lowest figure for the men's final in at least a decade. Last year's Novak Djokovic-Roger Federer final drew 2.02 million viewers, and that same matchup drew 2.38 million viewers in '14. The high mark over the last 10 years was NBC's 5.71 million viewers for Federer's five-set win over Andy Roddick in '09, which was the last time an American played in the final. While the '16 men's final was near record-low audience levels in the U.S., it was the most-watched tennis match in Canadian history, as Raonic became the first Canadian men's singles player to compete in a Grand Slam final. Meanwhile, ESPN on Saturday drew 1.6 million viewers for Serena Williams' win over Angelique Kerber, a figure that is up from 1.43 million viewers for Williams' win over Garbine Muguruza last year. The high mark for the women's finale at Wimbledon over the last decade was a matchup of the Williams sisters in '08, when NBC drew 3.65 million viewers. WatchESPN also set a Wimbledon record this year for live and replay minutes on the streaming platform.