TV News: Weekend USA TV Ratings (Update)
More on the Singapore GP TV rating:
Qualifying attracted 504K viewers in the wee hours of Saturday morning (aired on ESPN2), almost equal to IndyCar’s grand finale at Laguna Seca that drew 507K viewers on NBC – a linear channel. The Singapore race, in the wee hours of Sunday morning, had double the viewers of IndyCar grand finale. That tells you all you want to know about what is the #1 open wheel racing series in the USA now, and it certainly is not IndyCar.
Austin was the top local market in the U.S. with a 1.2 rating; Miami and New York had a 1.0 rating.
October 4, 2022
TV Rating Analysis
NASCAR: The NASCAR Cup race on NBC Sunday drew 2.827 million viewers and a rating of 1.64. Last year’s race was rained out and ran on a Monday on NBCSN. As such the viewership was up 143.92%, meaningless given the circumstances.
The Xfinity race from Talladega on the USA Network saw a 3.66% increase in viewership from last year on NBCSN.
The Truck race from Talladega on FS1 saw an increase in viewership of 14.76% from 2021, also on FS1.
The number of viewers in the 18-49 year old age bracket for all three NASCAR races was under 20%, continuing to underscore NASCAR’s aging out fan base.
Formula 1: The Singapore GP on ESPN2 drew 1.036 million viewers, up 80.49% from the last time the race ran in 2019, also on ESPN2. The audience peaked at 1.2 million viewers and it was the largest audience ever for this race. No race as run the last two years due to Covid. Once again, F1 far outdistanced all other forms of motorsports with a whopping 48% of its viewers in the all-important 18-49 age bracket.
IMSA: The IMSA Petit Le Mans race from Road Atlanta on NBC saw a drop of 13.79% in viewership from last year, also on NBC. The number of viewers in the 18-49 year old age bracket was 25%, which is better than NASCAR but continuing to underscore IMSA’s aging out fan base.
NHRA: The NHRA Mid West Nationals on FS1 saw a drop of 16.60% in viewership from last year, also onFS1. The NHRA did win in one category – only 15% of the viewers tuned in were in the all-important 18-49 year old bracket.
TV Rating Data
| Network | Event | Location | Total Viewers | 18-49 Viewers | Ratio: 18-49 Yr Old/ Total Viewers |
2022 Rating | 2021 Rating | Rating % Chg. |
2021 Network | 2021 Viewers | 2021 18-49 Viewers | Viewers % Chg |
| NBC | NASCAR Cup Race L | Talladega | 2,827,000 | 519,000 | 18% | 1.64 | 0.77 | +112.99% | *NBCSN | 1,159,000 | 190,000 | +143.92% |
| ESPN2 | F1 Singapore GP L | Marina Bay | 1,036,000 | 495,000 | 48% | 0.54 | 0.37 | +45.95% | **ESPN2 | 574,000 | 209,000 | +80.49% |
| USA | NASCAR Xfinity Race L Sat. | Talladega | 1,019,000 | 157,000 | 15% | 0.60 | 0.63 | -4.76% | NBCSN | 983,000 | 144,000 | +3.66% |
| FS1 | NASCAR Truck Race L Sat. | Talladega | 653,000 | 120,000 | 18% | 0.40 | 0.36 | +11.11% | FS1 | 569,000 | 92,000 | +14.76% |
| NBC | IMSA Petit Le Mans Sat. | Road Atlanta | 400,000 | 99,000 | 25% | 0.25 | 0.26 | -3.85% | NBC | 464,000 | 135,000 | -13.79% |
| FS1 | NHRA MidWest Nationals Finals L | St.Louis | 211,000 | 31,000 | 15% | 0.12 | 0.15 | -20.00% | FS1 | 253,000 | 25,000 | -16.60% |
*NASCAR Talladega Cup race was rained out in 2021 and ran on Sunday last year on NBCSN, hence the big ratings jump this year
**The Singapore GP F1 Race last ran in 2019 due to Covid