Indy 500 TV Ratings Up Slightly, But Third-Lowest Ever

Ratings and viewership increased slightly for the Indy 500 on ABC.

The IndyCar Series Indianapolis 500 earned a 3.8 rating and 5.9 million viewers on ABC, according to Nielsen fast-nationals — up a tick in ratings and up 4% in viewership from last year (3.7, 5.7M), but down 12% and 13%, respectively, from 2012 (4.3, 6.8M). [Final numbers for the race increased over the fast-nationals, rising to a 3.9 and 6.2 million viewers.]

The race earned the third-lowest rating and viewership for the Indy 500 since live start-to-finish coverage began in 1986, ahead of only last year and 2010 (3.6, 5.8M). [In the updated tally, the race now ranks as the fourth-least viewed since ’86.] The race has now dipped below a 4.0 rating in three of the past five years.

As is usually the case, the Indy 500 finished behind NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 (4.1, 7.0M). Since moving to FOX in 2001, the Coca-Cola 600 has earned a larger audience than the Indianapolis 500 every single year — excluding 2009, when the race was postponed to Monday.

Louisville was the top market for the live broadcast (9.4), followed by Dayton, OH (8.2), Albuquerque (7.3), Portland (7.0) and Cincinnati (6.8). As always, the race aired on tape delay in Indianapolis, earning a 12.9 rating in the market — up 39% from last year, when coverage aired opposite a Pacers playoff game (9.3), and up 30% from 2012 (9.9),

Ratings/Viewership For Indianapolis 500 Compared to Coca-Cola 600

Since FOX began televising Coca Cola 600 in 2001
* The 2009 Coca-Cola 600 was postponed to Monday due to rain.

(This year’s Indy 500 numbers from ESPN; this year’s Coke 600 numbers from Bloomberg/TV By the Numbers)