While NASCAR competition sank live IndyCar coverage on CNBC, it boosted NBCSN’s rebroadcast of the race to record numbers.
Tape-delayed IndyCar Series racing from Mid-Ohio earned 666,000 viewers on NBCSN Sunday evening, up 73% from last year (386K) and up 242% from 2013 (195K), both of which aired live. The telecast also topped the 2012 race, which aired on broadcast network ABC (626K).
Sunday’s telecast earned the largest audience ever for IndyCar on NBCSN, topping the previous high of 642,000 for the 2011 Edmonton race. The last four IndyCar races on NBCSN rank among the network’s nine most-watched since acquiring rights.
The record audience was fueled by a direct lead-in from NASCAR on NBCSN, which scored 4.3 million viewers. Live coverage of the race aired on CNBC to accommodate NASCAR, earning just 172,000 viewers — the smallest IndyCar audience on any network this season. The previous low was 196,000 for coverage from Toronto in June.
(Sun. numbers via ShowBuzz Daily, TV Media Insights)
