The Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest was a mixed draw July 4. In other news, NBCSN’s NASCAR debut declined double-digits, and the opening stages of the Tour de France were also mixed.
Hot Dog Contest Mixed Compared to Last Year
- Live coverage of the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest drew 1.1 million viewers on ESPN2 Saturday, up 181% from last year, when coverage aired on ESPNEWS (402K), and down 2% from 2013 (1.14M to 1.13M). Compared to last year’s encore presentation, which aired on ESPN2 following World Cup coverage, viewership sank 59% from 2.8 million. This year’s encore presentations drew 158,000 on ESPNEWS and 437,000 on ESPN.
Daytona Xfinity Race Down
- NASCAR Xfinity Series racing from Daytona earned 1.6 million viewers on NBCSN Saturday night, down 11% from last year on ESPN2, which also aired July 4 (1.8M), and down 19% from 2013 on ESPN (1.9M). The race ranks as the third-most watched Xfinity telecast on cable this season (11 telecasts).
Tour de France Opens Low, But Recovers Sunday
- The opening stage of the Tour de France earned 254,000 viewers on NBCSN Saturday morning, down 31% from last year (366K) but up 32% from 2013 (193K). The last time coverage aired on July 4 was 2013, when Stage 6 drew 253,000. Sunday’s Stage 2 drew 317,000 viewers, up 4% from last year (304K) and down 6% from 2013 (336K).
