VIEWERSHIP UP 21% FOR NBC SPORTS’ COVERAGE OF 2019 NTT INDYCAR SERIES
VIEWERSHIP UP 21% FOR NBC SPORTS’ COVERAGE OF 2019 NTT INDYCAR SERIES
2019 NTT IndyCar Series Averaging Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of Nearly 400,000 Viewers on NBCSN Through First Four Races
Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Averages TAD of 442,000 Viewers, Best in 7 Years & Up 18% vs. 2018
STAMFORD, Conn. – April 17, 2019 – With St. Petersburg, Circuit of the Americas, Barber and Long Beach complete, NBC Sports’ coverage of the 2019 NTT IndyCar Series is averaging a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of nearly 400,000 viewers (397,000) across NBCSN, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app, up 21% vs. its first four races of 2018* (327,000) and NBCSN’s second-best start to a season in eight years, according to Nielsen and Adobe Analytics.
This past weekend’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach (4:41-6:36 p.m. ET) averaged a TAD of 442,000 viewers on NBCSN and NBC Sports’ digital platforms, making it the most-watched Grand Prix of Long Beach in seven years (2012; 468,000) and up 18%vs. 2018 (376,000). Coverage peaked with 473,000 TV-only viewers from 6:15-6:30 pm ET as Andretti Autosport’s Alexander Rossi won his second consecutive Grand Prix of Long Beach. Three of the season’s first four races – St. Pete, COTA and Long Beach – registered viewership increases vs. the comparable 2018 race.
*Note: the viewership average of the first four NBCSN races of 2018 includes Phoenix, Long Beach, Texas and Road America, and excludes Barber, which was moved to Monday due to rain.
2019 NTT INDYCAR SERIES ON NBC AND NBCSN
The 2019 NTT IndyCar Series is the first under a new media rights agreement that was announced in March 2018 in which NBC Sports Group acquired the exclusive rights to all NTT IndyCar Series races – including the Indianapolis 500 for the first time – qualifying and practice sessions, and Indy Lights races across its numerous platforms. Click here for more information.
NBC Sports’ coverage of the 2019 season began earlier this year with the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, the first of 17 races to air on NBC and NBCSN during the season.
The 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500, set for Sunday, May 26, 2019, will be the first ever on NBC. The Indy 500 will also be included in NBC Sports’ Championship Season marketing campaign, which touts numerous high-profile championship events that are presented across NBC Sports platforms from May to July, including the Triple Crown, The PLAYERS, Premier League Championship Sunday, French Open, Stanley Cup Final, Tour de France, and The Open Championship.
INDYCAR coverage on NBC will begin with the Grand Prix of Indianapolis on Saturday, May 11. Following the Indy 500, NBC will present the Detroit Grand Prix doubleheader on the weekend of June 1-2, followed by races at Road America on Sunday, June 23 and Mid-Ohio on Sunday, July 28. The 2019 NTT IndyCar Series championship will be decided on NBC, with the season’s penultimate race in Portland on Sunday, Sept. 1, followed by season finale at Laguna Seca on Sunday, Sept. 22. Click here for more information.