If the numbers for Versus’ first IRL telecast are any indication, it may be a long ten years for the open wheel racing league.
According to Autoracing1.com, the IRL’s season opening Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg drew 233,000 viewers on Versus last Sunday, down 79% from 1.1 million viewers for last year’s season opener on ESPN2.
Sunday’s race was the first ever IRL telecast on Versus. Last year, the IRL and Versus agreed on a deal for the network to air races for the next ten years, replacing ESPN and ESPN2.
To put the 233,000 viewers in perspective, NHL telecasts on Versus averaged 311,000 viewers through January’s All-Star break.
Source: MVN.com
