Once again, ratings and viewership dropped for NASCAR on cable.
NASCAR Sprint Cup racing from New Hampshire drew a 2.4 final rating and 3.7 million viewers on NBCSN Sunday afternoon, down 11% in ratings and 14% in viewership from last year opposite the World Cup final (2.7, 4.3M) and down 25% in both measures from 2013 (3.2, 4.9M), both of which aired on TNT.
The telecast ranks as the lowest rated edition of the race since at least 1998 and the least-watched since at least 2000.
All eight NASCAR races on cable this season have had a double-digit decline in ratings and viewership. This year is the first in which races have aired on Fox Sports 1 and NBCSN, each of which was in fewer than 85 million homes as of February. Last year’s cable partners, TNT and ESPN, were each in over 95 million.
Though low for NASCAR, the 2.4 rating is the highest for any non-Olympic program ever on NBCSN. The network’s highest Stanley Cup Final rating, by comparison, was a 2.3 for Blackhawks/Bruins Game 3 in 2013.
The 2.4 is also tied as the second-highest for a race on cable this year, matching Martinsville in March and trailing Dover in May (2.5), both of which aired on FS1.
(Sun. numbers from NBC Sports Group Press Box)
