Michael Jordan Documentary Is the New NBA Finals for Starved Sports Media
These are lean times for media companies that rely on live sporting events to program their feeds
Michael Jordan attempts a dunk during the 1987 Slam Dunk Contest.
Photographer: Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
On Sunday evening, ESPN will release the first episode of its new Michael Jordan series, perhaps the most anticipated sports documentary since "O.J.: Made in America."
It arrives at a fragile time for the most powerful sports media company in the world. ESPN has suffered steep declines in viewership without live events, which are the centerpiece of its schedule all year. Advertisers are pulling back from TV, wondering where else they can reach large numbers of people at once.