ESPN looks to boost the audience for the Winter X Games back above the 1 million viewership mark this year, after figures last year declined coming off record cable-only viewership in '10. This year's edition marks the third straight year the event will not feature any telecasts on ABC after airing select telecasts on the net from '98-09. The event saw gains in primetime among adults 18-34 last year, but was down overall due mostly to lower ratings in weekend dayparts. Listed below is a viewership trend for Winter X Games, dating back to the inaugural event in '97 (THE DAILY).
| WINTER X GAMES VIEWERSHIP TREND* |
| YEAR | NETWORKS | TELECASTS | AVG. VIEWERS (000) |
| '11 | ESPN, ESPN2 | 8 | 998 |
| '10 | ESPN, ESPN2 | 8 | 1,188 |
| '09 | ESPN, ABC | 11 | 1,398 |
| '08 | ESPN, ABC | 11 | 1,336 |
| '07 | ESPN, ABC | 9 | 1,135 |
| '06 | ESPN, ABC | 9 | 1,304 |
| '05 | ESPN, ABC | 7 | 1,001 |
| '04 | ESPN, ESPN2, ABC | 8 | 825 |
| '03 | ESPN, ESPN2, ABC | 9 | 810 |
| '02 | ESPN, ESPN2, ABC | 8 | 649 |
| '01 | ESPN, ESPN2, ABC | 8 | 895 |
| '00 | ESPN, ESPN2, ABC | 8 | 804 |
| '99 | ESPN, ESPN2, ABC | 8 | 461 |
| '98 | ESPN, ESPN2, ABC | 9 | 635 |
| '97 | ESPN, ESPN2 | 6 | 601 |
| | | | |
NOTE: * = Does not include late-night telecasts.
