Another NASCAR lead-in helped the NHRA to another larger-than-usual audience. In other news, NASCAR’s Xfinity Series posted a sixth decline in seven tries last weekend, and fewer viewers made time for 24 Hours of Le Mans.
NHRA Tops Million Mark Again
- Taped NHRA eliminations from Bristol, Tenn., earned 1.0 million viewers on Fox Sports 1 last Sunday, up 24% from last year (806K) and up 68% from live coverage on ESPN in 2015 (598K). This year’s race aired after NASCAR Cup Series coverage, while last year’s aired after an Xfinity Series race. Five NHRA telecasts have topped the million viewer mark this season, compared to four all of last season.
NASCAR Sees Another Drop For Xfinity Series
- NASCAR Xfinity Series racing from Michigan drew 1.1 million viewers on FS1 last Saturday, down 15% from last year (1.3M) and down 19% from 2015 (1.4M). Ratings fell 16% year-over-year (from 0.89 to 0.75). Six of the past seven Xfinity Series races have posted declines in ratings and viewership.
Fewer Viewers For 24 Hours of Le Mans
- The 24 Hours of Le Mans auto race averaged 105,000 viewers across Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports 2 last weekend, down 17% from last year (126K) and down 18% from 2015 (128K). The most-watched block of coverage was the early morning window last Saturday, which pulled 148,000 on FS1. By comparison, last year’s top block delivered 350,000. The decline in viewership came despite a streamlined schedule this year, in which FS1 or FS2 aired long stretches of coverage — rather than the ping-ponging between networks common in the previous two years.
[Numbers via ShowBuzz Daily 6.20, Nielsen]
