Airing on NBC for the first time, the Indy 500 hit a three-year high in overnight ratings. Also: NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 rebounded from last year’s NBA-induced low; the F1 Monaco GP was flat on ESPN and down on ABC.
Indy 500 overnights hit three-year high in NBC debut
Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 earned a 3.9 overnight rating on NBC, up 15% from last year (3.4), up 8% from 2017 (3.6), and the highest in three years (2016: 4.1). Prior to this year, the race aired on ABC.
Simon Pagenaud‘s win, which peaked at a 4.6 in the final quarter-hour, was the first Indy 500 since 2015 to post an increase in the metered markets.
The Indy 500 topped NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 by 50% (3.9 to 2.6), its largest margin of victory over that event since at least 2000. It was the top sporting event of the day in the overnights. [NBC Sports PR/Twitter 5.27 a, b]
NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 overnights up from last year’s low
The NASCAR Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 earned a 2.6 overnight rating on FOX Sunday evening, up 8% from last year (2.4), but down 7% from 2017 (2.8). The 2.6 is the second-lowest for the race since it moved to FOX in 2001, ahead of only last year, when coverage aired opposite an NBA conference final Game 7.
Of the 12 Cup Series races this season that can be compared to last year, Charlotte was the seventh to post an increase in the metered markets.
Greensboro, NC, led all markets with an 8.9 rating. Charlotte ranked second at an 8.5, followed by Greenville, NC (7.7), Richmond (7.4) and Louisville (5.8). [Fox Sports]
F1 Monaco GP overnights flat on ESPN, down on ABC
Live coverage of the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix delivered a 0.7 overnight rating on ESPN, even with last year. The taped encore presentation on ABC had a 0.6, down 50% from last year (1.2), when the telecast had a direct lead-in from the Indy 500. This year, the encore overlapped with the Indy 500 for a half-hour. [ESPN]
