F1 Viewership Decline Continues In 2015

The viewership decline for F1 races on German free-to-air TV "continued" in '15, according to the SID. German free-to-air TV channel RTL drew an average of 4.2 million viewers for this year's 19 races. The average market share of its broadcasts was 24.4%. During the '14 season, RTL recorded an average market share of 28.2% as an average of 4.35 million viewers tuned in. This year's decline is significantly less than during the previous season. RTL drew an average of 5.28 million viewers and obtained a 31.9% share for its race broadcasts in '13. RTL Sports Dir Manfred Loppe: "Certainly the early championship decision took the wind out of our sails, the excitement was simply gone." SID.

DWDL's Alexander Krei reported RTL "drew less than 4 million viewers for its broadcast of the season-ending Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix." The race, which was won by Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg, attracted 3.83 million viewers on Sunday. In comparison to '14, this year's Abu Dhabi GP drew almost 2 million less viewers. RTL's broadcast obtained a 20.3% market share. In the target demographic 14-49, the F1 race recorded a 17.7% market share. DWDL