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NBC touts Motorsports viewership numbers

NBC touts it motorsports TV numbers
NBC touts it motorsports TV numbers

NBC Sports, The Home of Motorsports which presented more than 1,500 hours of motorsports coverage this season, delivered significant viewership milestones across its motorsports properties in 2019, highlighted by increases throughout NASCAR, INDYCAR and IMSA coverage on NBC, NBCSN, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app. But we set the record straight in bold text.

NASCAR

  • The NASCAR Cup Series ranked as TV’s No. 1 sport in July and August with the seven races on NBC/NBCSN averaging a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 2.780 million viewers; Pathetic numbers compared to FOX. FOX Sports wrapped its first half of the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season averaging 4,076,000 viewers, up +2% from last year’s 3,980,000. In other words FOX delivered 47% higher TV ratings for NASCAR than NBC did.
  • NBCSN ranked as the No. 1 cable network among average viewers during the NASCAR Cup Series race window in all 13 weeks, up from 10 weeks last season;
  • Six of NBCSN’s eight Cup Series summer races ranked as the top cable sports program of their respective weekends, with Pocono and Michigan standing as the top sports program of the week across both broadcast and cable;
  • Final Cup Series practice this season averaged 293,000 viewers on NBCSN, up 11% from 2018 (265,000). All Cup Series practices averaged 170,000 viewers across NBCSN/CNBC, up 7% from 2018 (159,000);
  • The Dale Jr. Download on NBCSN averaged 100,000 viewers, up 33% vs. last year’s comparable programming in the daypart (75,000);
  • Throughout NBC Sports’ 2019 NASCAR season, NASCAR America averaged 100,000 viewers across more than 60 episodes on NBCSN, up 8% vs. 2018 (93,000)

INDYCAR

  • NBC Sports’ inaugural Indianapolis 500 on NBC averaged a TAD of 5.489 million viewers, up 12% vs. the 2018 race on ABC (4.913 million) but down significantly from prior years on ABC. Back in the days of CART the numbers were double this on ABC and when the race was taped delayed to Sunday night on ABC, the viewership numbers for the Indy 500 were routinely over 20 million;
  • Excluding rain-impacted races, NBC Sports’ NTT IndyCar Series race coverage averaged a TAD of 1.108 million on NBC, NBCSN, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app viewers, up 10% vs. 2018 (1.011 million on ABC, NBCSN, digital), but only because more races were broadcast on network NBC and less on cable NBCSN. ABC offered 11 network races vs NBCs 8 so had IndyCar chosen ABC as its partner the viewership numbers would have been much higher. Oh and not to mention the global reach ESPN international gave IndyCar. With the move to NBC IndyCar went dark globally (except for the USA) which is a significant loss in value to IndyCar sponsors vs when ABC/ESPN was involved.
  • June’s Road America race on NBC posted a TAD of 1.110 million viewers to stand as NBC Sports’ most-watched INDYCAR race to date, excluding the Indy 500; Of course, it was on a network channel and not a cable channel.
  • The season-opening St. Petersburg race in March on NBCSN averaged a TAD of 503,000 viewers, making it the most-watched INDYCAR season opener in the network’s history. Still way below the 1 million viewers sponsors want to see

IMSA

  • In its inaugural season as the exclusive home of IMSA, NBC Sports’ coverage averaged 199,000 viewers (16 telecasts), up 55% from last year’s coverage across FOX Sports networks (FOX/FS1/FS2; 128,000 viewers). Think about how pathetic those numbers really are
  • Coverage on NBCSN averaged 187,000 viewers, up 99% from FS1/FS2’s average (94,000 viewers). Think about how pathetic those numbers really are
  • NBCSN delivered the most-watched IMSA race on cable since 2017 with August’s Road America, which averaged 338,000 viewers. Pathetic

NBCSPORTS.COM

  • NASCARTalk had its best year since 2016, delivering year-over-year growth in uniques (+41%), page views (+52%) and visits (+57%); How did FOX do with online viewers? – Two million fans streamed NASCAR programming on FOX Sports platforms in 2019, up +79% year-over-year
  • More than 11.4 million video starts across NBCSports.com, up 62% vs. 2018;
  • Launched in February, the Motorsports on NBC YouTube page has amassed more than 125,000 subscribers.

This year, NBC Sports presented more than 1,500 hours of motorsports coverage NASCAR, INDYCAR, IMSA, Mecum Auctions, Monster Energy AMA Supercross, the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, Monster Jam, American Flat Track, and more.

2019 was a banner year for NBC Sports Gold, NBC Sports Group’s direct-to-consumer live streaming product. For the first time ever, INDYCAR Pass on NBC Sports Gold provided fans with live coverage of every lap of practice and qualifying for the 2019 NTT IndyCar Series, totaling more than 200 hours of programming, including 50-plus hours of exclusive Indianapolis 500 on-track action. In addition, Supercross Pass and Pro Motocross Pass delivered comprehensive live coverage of practice, qualifiers and races.

The momentum carries into the 2020 season with the launch of TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold, which will provide exclusive live streaming coverage of American Flat Track, select ARCA Menards Series™ events (including ARCA Menards Series East and West races), NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour™, and tentpole grassroots racing events, as well as NASCAR Cup Series™ and NASCAR Xfinity Series™ practice and qualifying sessions.

–NBC SPORTS PR with edits from AR1.com to set the record straight–