A downturn in ratings has followed NASCAR from big FOX to Fox Sports 1.
NASCAR Sprint Cup racing from Martinsville (VA) earned a 2.2 overnight rating on FS1 Sunday afternoon, down 12% from last year (2.5) and down 42% from 2014 on the FOX broadcast network (3.8).
The double-digit drop is especially notable considering that last year’s race aired opposite the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight. This year’s race had much lighter competition from the NBA on ABC (1.7) and Opening Day baseball on ESPN (1.4) and ESPN2 (0.7).
Not surprisingly, the 2.2 is the lowest for the spring Martinsville race since at least 2002. Including Sunday, the past four races have either set or tied a multi-year low — with Fontana earning its lowest overnight since 2012, Phoenix its lowest since 2010, and Las Vegas its lowest since FOX acquired rights in 2001. That list does not include Atlanta, which had the lowest overnight for a post-Daytona race on FOX.
All six NASCAR Sprint Cup races this season have had a decline in the overnights, with four of those six by double-digits.
(Wknd. numbers via ShowBuzz Daily)
