NBC Sports reports on 2016 F1 TV ratings

Season finale in Abu Dhabi

NBCSN had the best Formula 1 viewership for a single cable network in 21 years, according to data from The Nielsen Company.

NBCSN's 2016 F1 coverage (14 races) averaged 429,000 viewers, up 3% vs. 2015 (418,000; 13 races), to rank as the best F1 season for a single cable network since 1995 (ESPN: 755,000 viewers). Due to the variety of race locations around the globe, a majority of F1 races begin at 7:30 a.m. ET or earlier.

NBCSN tied a network-record with five grands prix averaging more than 500,000 viewers (Bahrain, European, German, Belgian, Brazilian). The season finale at Abu Dhabi, which featured the championship battle between Mercedes' Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton, averaged 467,000 viewers (7:31-10:12 a.m. ET). Viewership of Abu Dhabi was up 48% from 2015 (316,000), the largest increase in viewership for any race on NBCSN this season.

Overall, NBC Sports Group's F1 coverage on NBC/NBCSN/CNBC (20 races) averaged 482,000* viewers over its 155 hours of premiere F1 coverage, the most since the company acquired F1 rights prior to the 2013 season.

Digitally, the 2016 F1 season set records across the board on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app. More than 37 million minutes of F1 race coverage were streamed, up 231% vs. the 2015 season (11.2 million). Overall, the 2016 F1 season's Average Minute Audience was up 187% vs. 2015 (12,000 vs. 4,100)*.

Four races in 2016 eclipsed two million minutes streamed (Canadian, Belgian, Brazilian and Abu Dhabi); last year, no race finished with over one million minutes streamed. The Brazilian Grand Prix was the most-streamed F1 race ever, with nearly three million minutes streamed.

* These numbers do not include the Canadian Grand Prix, which was originally scheduled to air on NBC but was moved to NBCSN due to breaking news coverage on NBC.