CINCINNATI—Scripps has announced that the Scripps National Spelling Bee's semifinals and finals drew 9.2 million viewers this year, an increase of 22% over 2022 when it debuted on ION.
The audience for the finals (live and immediate encore) on June 1 was the largest audience since 2012 with 6.1 million viewers, an increase of 30% over 2022.
"This year's fantastic growth further proves the power of over-the-air television, the promise of the Scripps Networks to connect with its diverse audiences and the special place this nearly 100-year-old competition holds in the hearts of Americans," Scripps president and CEO Adam Symson said.
Dev Shah, a 14-year-old speller from Largo, Florida, won the 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee in the 15th round of onstage competition.
Last year, The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP) moved the Bee to its own networks – available free over-the-air as well as on cable, satellite and streaming platforms – to make the competition more accessible to viewers. This year, Scripps aired the semifinals and finals on all six of its entertainment networks: ION, Bounce, Defy TV, Grit, Laff and ION Mystery.
Other audience highlights include:
- The semifinals on May 31 reached 4.9 million viewers – an increase of 58% over 2022 and the highest audience ever for the semifinals for the second year in a row.
- Streaming added significantly to the overall audience. Bee programming was watched for nearly 5.6 million hours, up double digits from last year.
- Last year's Spelling Bee programming, including a one-hour original special, "Road to the Bee," aired on ION, Bounce, Laff and TrueReal and was seen by 7.5 million viewers.
