The F1 Monaco Grand Prix was a mixed bag in the ratings, hitting a cable high on ESPN and sinking by more than 50 percent on ABC.
Live coverage of the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix delivered a 0.58 rating and 908,000 viewers on ESPN Sunday morning, up 9% in ratings and 12% in viewership from last year (0.53, 809K), but down 40% and 37% respectively from 2017, when the race last aired on NBC (1.0, 1.44M).
The race delivered the fifth-largest F1 cable audience on record, and the largest since 1995. The previous 24-year high was set by last year’s Monaco GP. The all-time high is 1.7 million for the ’95 Brazilian GP.
ESPN and ESPN2 have now averaged 625,000 for F1 coverage this season, up 22% from last year. Five of six live F1 telecasts have increased over last year.
Encore coverage on ABC had a 0.49 and 705,000, down 53% in ratings and 56% in viewership from last year (1.0, 1.62M), when coverage aired after the Indy 500. This year, the encore not only lacked an Indy 500 lead-in, but had to compete with the race for 30 minutes.
Combined, the live and encore presentations had a 1.1 and 1.61 million viewers — down 31% and 34% respectively from last year’s 1.6 and 2.43 million. The combined figure still exceeds every Monaco GP on NBC (2013-17), with the caveat that the race only aired live in those days.
[Numbers from ESPN, Nielsen via ShowBuzz Daily 5.31]
