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TV Ratings: It’s not just IndyCar

NBC Sports Network can't draw good TV ratings across the board
NBC Sports Network can't draw good TV ratings across the board. In 10 years IndyCar never saw anywhere near a 1.0 rating. Ten years and it's getting worse now.

IndyCar isn't the only sport suffering from low ratings on NBCSN. NASCAR is down huge on NBCSN and now comes the following NHL hockey report. NBCSN just does not get good TV ratings and they are pretty much falling across the board.

However, IndyCar, in their infinite wisdom, decided to go with NBC and NBCSN for their new TV deal. As good as the racing production is on NBCSN, what good is it if no one sees it?

While the in-booth announcers on ABC were dull and boring (something that could be fixed – Bob Varsha is available) at least from a global number of viewers perspective, ESPN and ABC delivered coverage in 140 countries and their USA TV ratings are higher. ESPN is a go-to channel for sports fans who channel surf.

All that is gone now. For the few fans who will see the broadcasts on NBC and NBCSN, they will be excellent. However, sponsors get little value if hardly anyone is watching.

NBC/NBCSN See Lowest NHL Season Under Current Media Rights Deal

NHL regular-season viewership across NBC and NBCSN was its lowest level yet under the current 10-year media-rights deal, which began prior to the ’11-12 campaign.

The networks combined to average a total-audience delivery (TAD) of 417,000 viewers (TV+streaming), which is down 12% from ’16-17.

The high mark during the current deal was the lockout-shortened season of ’12-13, which averaged 590,000 viewers.

For NBC alone, the net averaged a TAD of 1.29 million viewers, up 4% from 1.24 million in ’16-17, which was the lowest on record for an NHL season (figures dating back to ’93-94). That gain came despite another record-low NHL Winter Classic and NBC airing three fewer games this season.

Meanwhile, NBCSN averaged a TAD of 302,000 viewers, which is the NHL’s lowest figure on cable TV since the ’09-10 season (297,000 viewers). NBCSN was down 12% from 343,000 viewers in ’16-17.