Black Magic: ESPN's Most-Watched Documentary
March 24, 2008
Sunday's first part of ESPN's critically acclaimed Black Magic, which aired commercial free in two parts March 16 and 17, was watched by an average of 1,211,000 households (based on a 1.3 rating), making it ESPN's most-watched documentary. The film, directed by Dan Klores, tells the story of the injustice which characterized the Civil Rights Movement in America, as told through the lives of basketball players and coaches who attended and worked at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU).
"With the national discourse swirling around the topic of race, the
success of Black Magic speaks to the desire of sports fans for
content that explores new voices on the American sports story,said
Keith Clinkscales, senior vice president, ESPN content development
and enterprises. "We thank Mr. Klores for delivering such a high
quality and thought-provoking film, as we endeavor to deliver more
from ESPN Films in the coming months."
Black Magic broke the record set in March 2006 by Through the Fire (1,140,000 homes, based on a 1.3 rating) and averaged 1,546,000 viewers (P2+). The second part of Black Magic also performed very well, with an average of 948,000 homes (1,182,000 viewers), based on a 1.0 rating.
