TV News: Weekend USA TV Ratings – F1 up, NASCAR & IndyCar tank (Update)
Updates on the F1 Italian GP analysis:
- 995,000 average viewers – 0.6 rating. Re-air got 53,000 viewers for a total of 1.048 million
- Most-viewed LIVE Italian Grand Prix on record (the 2002 race aired on ABC on a tape-delayed basis and averaged 1,047,000 viewers).
- Audience peaked at 1.2 million viewers between 10-10:15 a.m. ET
- The 2022 season is averaging 1.2 million viewers per race across ESPN networks, up 31 percent vs. the full 2021 season (949K viewers)
- Through 16 races, the 2022 average is 30 percent higher than the 2021 F1 season through the same number of races (957K).
The Top 10 local markets for the Italian Grand Prix on ESPN2:
Providence, 1.2
Austin, 1.1
Columbus, 1.1
Washington D.C., 1.0
West Palm Beach, 1.0
Charlotte, 1.0
Indianapolis, 0.9
San Diego, 0.9
New York, 0.9
September 13, 2022
Rating Analysis
NASCAR: The NASCAR Cup race from Kansas on the USA Network drew 1.878 million viewers and a 1.10 TV rating, down 10.8% from 2.105 million viewers last year on NBCSN. Only 18% of the viewers tuned in for the NASCAR Cup race were in the all-important 18-49 age bracket, a horrible result.
The NASCAR Truck Race from Kansas on FS1 drew 0.436 million viewers, down 37.63% from 0.699 million viewers last year, also on FS1
Formula 1: The F1 Italian GP from Monza on ESPN2 drew just under 1 million viewers and a 0.57 TV rating, up 13.1% from 0.880 million viewers last year, also on ESPN2. 41% of the viewers tuned in for the F1 race were in the all-important 18-49 age bracket, by far the best in all of motorsports.
IndyCar: The IndyCar season final race from Laguna Seca on NBC drew just 0.507 million viewers and a 0.32 TV rating, down 29.1% from 0.715 million viewers last year, also on NBC. Only 27% of the viewers tuned in for the IndyCar race were in the all-important 18-49 age bracket, up slightly from 25% in 2021, but still horrible.
NHRA: The US National from Indianapolis on Labor Day Monday drew 840,000 viewers and a 0.50 rating, up 11.55% from 753,000 viewers in 2021. Only 20% of the viewers tuned in for the NHRA broadcast were in the all-important 18-49 age bracket.
Detailed USA Weekend TV Ratings
| Network | Event | Location | Total Viewers |
18-49 Viewers |
% Viewers in 18-49 Bracket |
2022 Rating |
2021 Rating |
Rating % Chg. |
2021 Network |
2021 Viewers |
2021 18-49 Viewers |
Viewers % Chg |
| USA | NASCAR Cup Race | Kansas | 1,878,000 | 341,000 | 18% | 1.1 | 1.26 | -12.70% | NBCSN | 2,105,000 | 354,000 | -10.78% |
| ESPN2 | F1 Italian GP | Monza | **995,000 | 407,000 | 41% | 0.57 | 0.53 | 7.55% | ESPN2 | 880,000 | 399,000 | 13.07% |
| FOX | NHRA US Nationals | Indianapolis | 840,000 | 167,000 | 20% | 0.49 | 0.50 | -2.00% | FOX | 753,000 | 166,000 | 11.55% |
| NBC | IndyCar Race | Laguna Seca | 507,000 | 137,000 | 27% | 0.32 | 0.44 | -27.27% | NBC | 715,000 | 179,000 | -29.09% |
| FS1 | *NASCAR Truck Race | Kansas | 436,000 | 91,000 | 21% | 0.26 | 0.41 | -36.59% | FS1 | 699,000 | 133,000 | -37.63% |
*NASCAR Truck Race at Kansas ran in May of last year, Sept this year
**Re-air got 53,000 viewers for a total viewership of 1.048 million