Fox Sports 1 had another double-digit drop in NASCAR viewership, though rain was a major culprit.
NASCAR Sprint Cup racing from Michigan drew 3.5 million viewers on FS1 Sunday afternoon, down 17% from last year (4.3M) and down 22% from 2013 (4.5M), both on TNT, and the least-watched edition of the race since at least 2000 (viewership prior to 2001 was not available).
Viewership for the race did not dip below four million in eight seasons on TNT (2007-14), and reached as high as 8.5 million on the FOX broadcast network in 2003.
Keep in mind this year’s race was hampered by several rain delays. FS1 averaged 3.0 million viewers for nearly 2 1/2 hours of rain delay coverage.
Each Sprint Cup race on FS1 has had a double-digit decline in viewership, with the last two down from coverage on TNT. The downward trend is not confined to FS1, however. Excluding rainouts, eight of the past nine Sprint Cup telecasts have had a decline from last year, with the lone exception being Fontana in March (+3%). That is a far cry from the solid start to the season, in which the first three races each posted gains.
(Sun. numbers via ShowBuzz Daily)
