The Nielsen Co. estimates that 9.95 million people watched LeBron James announce on ESPN that he is leaving the Cavaliers for the Heat as a free agent on Thursday.

It was the third-most-watched program on cable television this year.

"The Decision" ranks behind the 12.3 million who watched the NFL Pro Bowl and 11.2 million who watched an episode of "ICarly" on Nickelodeon in January.