Ratings and viewership declined once again for NASCAR on TNT, but the numbers were higher than in the past two weeks.
Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Toyota/Save Mart 350 from Sonoma (CA) earned a 3.0 U.S. rating and 4.7 million viewers on TNT, down 9% in ratings and 10% in viewership from last year (3.3, 5.2M), and 6% and 10%, respectively, from 2011 (3.2, 5.2M).
This marks the second-worst performance for the race over the past decade, ahead of only 2010 (2.7, 4.5M).
With that said, the race outdrew the first two TNT telecasts of the season. The June 16 Michigan race had a 2.8 and 4.5 million viewers, and the June 9 Pocono telecast had a 2.8 and 4.4 million.
Halfway through the “Summer Series” on TNT, ratings and viewership have declined for each of the network’s three races.
Despite the lower numbers, Sunday’s race was the third-most viewed program of the week on cable. The only programs to attract more viewers last week were related to a skywire stunt on the Discovery Channel.
(Sun. numbers from Businessweek, TV By the Numbers)
