We may not know (if ever) the estimated pay-per-view buys for UFC 239, but the promotion’s biggest event thus far of 2019 generated plenty of attention for the televised preliminary card.
According to Nielsen, the two-hour broadcast of the UFC 239 prelims averaged 1,145,000 viewers on ESPN, with a 0.44 rating in the coveted 18-49 demographic. It was the top-rated cable program for all of last Saturday, which followed the second-place finish for UFC Minneapolis in the week prior. Unlike UFC 234 and 235 (the two PPV events in 2019 with better preliminary card ratings and viewership), there was no benefit of a major sporting event lead-in for UFC 239.