Formula 1’s Hungary Grand Prix hit a viewership high last weekend and beat NASCAR at the Brickyard in the key adult demographics. Plus: the final of the UEFA Women’s Euros delivered ESPN’s top soccer audience of the year; ESPN scored another solid weekday MLB audience; and more.
F1 Hungary GP beats NASCAR Brickyard race in key demos
Last Sunday’s Formula 1 Hungary Grand Prix averaged a 0.6 rating and 1.25 million viewers on ESPN, marking the largest audience ever for the race and fifth-largest F1 audience ever on cable. Max Verstappen’s win, which peaked with 1.5 million viewers, increased 25% from the same race last year (1.00M) and a third in adults 18-49 (486K to 645K).
Notably, the race averaged a higher rating in 18-49 and 18-34 than the same-day NASCAR Cup Series race from Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which aired on broadcast television and is one of the highest-profile stops on the Cup calendar. Both races averaged a 0.49 in 18-49, but F1 had a slightly larger audience in the demo (645K to 640K). The margin was not close in 18-34 as F1 won the ratings race by 59% (0.43 to 0.27).
Tampa-St. Petersburg led all markets Sunday morning with a 1.3 rating, followed by Washington D.C. at a 1.2, Norfolk and Austin at a 1.1, and Miami and San Diego at a 1.0.
Formula 1 races are now averaging 1.3 million viewers for the season, up 34% from the same number of races last year (952K).
Women’s Euro final is year’s top soccer match on ESPN
The final of the UEFA Women’s European Championships (England-Germany) averaged 971,000 viewers on ESPN last Sunday, the largest women’s soccer audience on the ESPN family of networks in seven years — since United States-South Korea shortly before the 2015 Women’s World Cup (998K). Spanish-language coverage on TUDN chipped in 76,000 viewers.
England’s win, which peaked with 1.2 million viewers, delivered the year’s largest soccer audience on an ESPN network regardless of gender. The previous high was 732,000 for a Wales-Ukraine men’s World Cup qualifying match in June. Keep in mind ESPN’s telecast had a direct lead-in from the aforementioned Formula 1 race.
Norfolk led all markets for ESPN’s coverage at a 1.2 rating, followed by San Diego, Washington D.C. and Austin, Texas (1.0 each).
Outside of the final, the most-watched match of the tournament was the England-Spain quarterfinal on July 20 (362K). Rounding out the top five, the July 23 France-Netherlands quarterfinal averaged 359,000, the July 27 Germany-France semifinal drew 336,000 and the July 26 England-Sweden semi drew 315,000.
ESPN tops million mark again for weekday MLB exclusive
ESPN averaged 1.10 million viewers for last Monday’s Red Sox-Astros Major League Baseball game, the fourth of its five exclusive weeknight windows this season to cross the million viewer mark. None of the network’s weekday games last season — when it carried significantly more games, but few exclusively — hit the million mark.
The previous night, the network drew a 0.7 rating and 1.26 million for Cubs-Giants on Sunday Night Baseball — up from Red Sox-Rays opposite the Olympics last year (0.6, ~978K).
In other MLB action last week, last weekend’s regional action on FOX averaged a 0.9 rating and 1.65 million viewers, preceded by Brewers-Red Sox on FS1 at a 0.21 and 361,000. This past Tuesday, Dodgers-Giants chipped in 446,000 on TBS.
Plus: UFC on ABC, TBT, PGA Tour
Last weekend’s UFC 277 prelims averaged a combined 0.8 rating and 1.36 million viewers across ABC and ESPN, down from the previous two-network simulcast last month (0.95, 1.80M). ABC was a mixed bag at a 0.57 (+5%) and 906,000 (-2%) but ESPN sank double-digits to a 0.25 (-39%) and 456,000 (-48%). … The final of The Basketball Tournament averaged just 183,000 viewers on ESPN Tuesday night, easily the lowest for the championship game since the tournament began airing on ESPN in 2015. … Final round coverage of the PGA Tour from Detroit averaged a 1.5 and 2.48 million on CBS last Sunday, narrowly trailing last year and the lowest for the tournament since its debut three years ago (1.3, 1.85M). Third round action was the most-watched in the tournament’s short history at a 1.1 and 1.76 million.
