 The film 's initial airing established a record as the ratings leader among all ESPN documentaries with a 2 @.@ 1 rating according to Nielsen Company , surpassing two of the 30 for 30 films , each of which posted a 1 @.@ 8 rating : Pony Exce $ $ ( aired December 11 , 2010 , focusing on SMU football of the 1980s , a decade that culminated in scandal ) and The U ( aired December 12 , 2009 , detailing the University of Miami football team in the 1980s and 1990s ) . The Fab Five aired at 9 p.m. ET , drawing an average of 2 @,@ 088 @,@ 000 households and 2 @,@ 746 @,@ 000 viewers , both bests among ESPN documentaries ; it surpassed the previous high marks set by Pony Exce $ $ , when it was seen by an average of 1 @,@ 843 @,@ 000 homes and 2 @,@ 517 @,@ 000 viewers on ESPN . The Fab Five was rebroadcast at 11 p.m. on ESPN2 . In excess of 11 million people watched part of the movie on one of the two original national broadcasts on the day of the 2011 NCAA Men 's Division I Basketball Tournament selections . 
