Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest on ESPN Settles for Smallest TV Audience Since 2005

The Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest on ESPN didn’t hit an all-time low in TV ratings this year, but the annual July 4 special was unable to crack one million total viewers.

Saturday’s socially distanced version of the Coney Island staple drew 966,000 viewers, which is the lowest average for an initial airing of the contest since 2005. Back then, the niche “sport” received 860,000 viewers.

This year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the event was held indoors. Travel restrictions narrowed the field of competitors to only five men and five women. Americans Joey Chestnut and Miki Sudo won — again.

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In 2005, Takeru Kobayashi won his fifth-straight Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest. He would win again in ’06.

The following year, Chestnut won for the first time. He would go on to win a remarkable 13 of the next 14 years, falling only to Matt Stonie in 2015.

This year, Chestnut down 75 dogs and buns. Sudo, who claimed her sixth-straight first-place finish in the women’s division, gobbled down 48.5 hot dogs and buns.

Both of those are world records. In the annual event sponsored by the hot dog brand, competitors are given 10 minutes to eat as much as they can stomach.

ESPN acquired the TV rights to the contest in 2003. Since 2004, it has been airing live.