Overcoming a four-hour delay, or perhaps because of it, the Indy 500 hit a three-year viewership high on NBC.
Sunday’s IndyCar Series Indianapolis 500, which was pushed back nearly four hours from its usual 12:45 PM ET start due to inclement weather, averaged a 2.5 rating and 5.31 million viewers on NBC (5.02 million per Nielsen, plus a streaming audience of 286,000 measured by Adobe Analytics) — the largest audience for the event in three years (5.63M). Viewership increased 8% from last year (4.93M) and 10% from 2022 (4.84M).
Josef Newgarden’s win, which peaked with 6.46 million viewers in the fast-nationals, was the first Indy 500 since the 2021 edition to air live in host market Indianapolis. (IndyCar waived the local blackout that had been planned.) Indianapolis turned in an 18.15 rating and 54 share, compared to a 21.3 in 2021.
Whether due to the inclusion of the Indianapolis market or simply a change in Nielsen’s methods, out-of-home viewing would seem to have been higher for this year’s race than for previous editions. While viewership increased 8%, ratings fell 4% to the lowest ever for the race (excluding the COVID-delayed 2020 edition).
The competing NASCAR Coca Cola 600 on FOX, which was also affected by rain, averaged a 1.7 and 3.10 million. It is rare for the two events to overlap.
This year’s Indy 500 may well have been the last one to air on NBC, as the network’s IndyCar rights deal expires after the current season. NBC and FOX are said to be contenders for the rights. FOX, which is losing the Coca-Cola 600 to Amazon after this season, will have an opening on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend starting next year.
