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TV Ratings For Big Races Over The Weekend
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Auto racing's big Memorial Day weekend produced some interesting overnight ratings numbers for Sunday's trifecta of broadcast-network races—if not the knockout punch some might have been expecting.
The 100th running of the Indianapolis 500, boosted locally by a lifting of the live TV blackout, generated a huge gain in Indianapolis—where it scored a 33.6 rating, up 161% from last year—but was down from 2015 numbers in overall overnight TV ratings. According to ESPN, the race earned a 3.8 rating, averaging 5,859,785 viewers, according to Nielsen Fast National data. The national rating peaked at a 4.4 in the half-hour from 3-3:30 p.m., with 6.8 million watching.
Milwaukee had the second-largest rating among local markets with an 8.4, followed by Dayton, Ohio, at 7.6, Cincinnati at 7.2 and Knoxville, Tenn., at 6.6. Rounding out the top 10 metered markets were Fort Myers/Naples, Fla., at 5.9, Seattle/Tacoma at 5.8, Greenville/Spartanburg, S.C., and Louisville, Ky., at 5.7 and Columbus, Ohio, at 5.6.
The Indy 500 telecast also was streaming live on WatchESPN for the first time and had an average minute audience of 23,000 and 5.3 million total minutes viewed.
The rating and viewership were down from last year’s 4.1 final rating and 6.394 million average viewers.
However, Indy did outscore NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 more decisively than last year. Sunday night's race on FOX scored a 3.2 overnight rating, down 11% from last year (3.6), and the lowest overnight for the race since moving to FOX in 2001, according to SportsMediaWatch.
NASCAR's Xfinity Series also took a hit, with Saturday's race from Charlotte on FOX Sports 1 dropping to a 0.78 rating from a 1.27 last year when the race aired on FOX.
Formula 1's Monaco Grand Prix, leading off F1's appearances on NBC in 2016, scored a 1.07 overnight rating, down from a 1.13 last year.
These numbers will be updated as additional data becomes available.
The 100th running of the Indianapolis 500, boosted locally by a lifting of the live TV blackout, generated a huge gain in Indianapolis—where it scored a 33.6 rating, up 161% from last year—but was down from 2015 numbers in overall overnight TV ratings. According to ESPN, the race earned a 3.8 rating, averaging 5,859,785 viewers, according to Nielsen Fast National data. The national rating peaked at a 4.4 in the half-hour from 3-3:30 p.m., with 6.8 million watching.
Milwaukee had the second-largest rating among local markets with an 8.4, followed by Dayton, Ohio, at 7.6, Cincinnati at 7.2 and Knoxville, Tenn., at 6.6. Rounding out the top 10 metered markets were Fort Myers/Naples, Fla., at 5.9, Seattle/Tacoma at 5.8, Greenville/Spartanburg, S.C., and Louisville, Ky., at 5.7 and Columbus, Ohio, at 5.6.
The Indy 500 telecast also was streaming live on WatchESPN for the first time and had an average minute audience of 23,000 and 5.3 million total minutes viewed.
The rating and viewership were down from last year’s 4.1 final rating and 6.394 million average viewers.
However, Indy did outscore NASCAR's Coca-Cola 600 more decisively than last year. Sunday night's race on FOX scored a 3.2 overnight rating, down 11% from last year (3.6), and the lowest overnight for the race since moving to FOX in 2001, according to SportsMediaWatch.
NASCAR's Xfinity Series also took a hit, with Saturday's race from Charlotte on FOX Sports 1 dropping to a 0.78 rating from a 1.27 last year when the race aired on FOX.
Formula 1's Monaco Grand Prix, leading off F1's appearances on NBC in 2016, scored a 1.07 overnight rating, down from a 1.13 last year.
These numbers will be updated as additional data becomes available.
