The penultimate season of IndyCar’s television deal turned in a near-record performance on NBCSN.
Coverage of the 2017 IndyCar season averaged a 0.32 rating and 502,000 viewers on NBCSN, flat in ratings and up 3% in viewership from last year (0.32, 488K) but down 6% and 1% respectively from 2015 (0.34, 507K). It was the second-most watched IndyCar season ever on NBCSN (dates back to 2009), behind only 2015.
Including streaming viewership, the season averaged 507,000 viewers — still up 3% from last year (492K) and down 1% from 2015 (510K).
Those figures still pale in comparison to the 778,000 IndyCar averaged on cable in 2008, the last year races aired on ESPN and ESPN2.
Though up overall, the season ended on a low note last weekend. Sunday’s finale from Sonoma (Ca.) earned a 0.33 rating (-3%) and 528,000 viewers (-2%) on NBCSN, marking the least-watched edition of the race since 2014 (377K). The most-watched race on cable this season was Pocono in August, with 618,000 viewers (624K w/ streaming included).
NBCSN’s coverage averaged a 2.1 rating in Indianapolis, easily the highest of any market, but down 12% from last year (2.38). Richmond, Va., was a distant second with a 0.93 (+12%), followed by Greenville N.C. (0.9, +15%), West Palm Beach (0.81), and Greensboro N.C. (0.76, +4%).
The modest increase on cable followed a modest decline on broadcast, with ABC’s five races averaging a 1.5 rating (even) and 2.3 million viewers (-8%).
