NASCAR overall TV ratings down 2nd straight year
Quote selected text Published November 14th, 2007 in NASCAR News
NASCAR ends its season Sunday with ratings down again this year. And while it has fan interest beyond its Southern base, it’s still an also-ran in big cities outside the South. This season’s NASCAR Nextel Cup races — airing on Fox, TNT, ESPN and ABC — are averaging 4.2% of U.S. TV households — down 9% from last year’s average and off 21% from 2005. ABC’s Checker Auto Parts 500 on Sunday — when Jimmie Johnson virtually nailed down the season points title — showed interest still is largely regional.
The race drew 10.5% of households in Greenville, S.C., 9.1% in Knoxville, Tenn. and 7.8% in Birmingham, Ala. But it drew just 1.3% in New York, 1.9% in Los Angeles and 2.4% in Chicago. Dick Glover, NASCAR vice president/broadcasting, notes the average NASCAR race ratings in New York (1.9%), Los Angeles (2.1%) and Chicago (2.9%) — which together constitute about 15% of TV households in the USA — are up slightly or even with last year.
He concedes there’s no silver bullet to win over more major-market eyeballs:
“All you can do is expose your product and see if people like it.” But Glenn Enoch, ESPN vice president/research, suggests NASCAR’s viewer drop-off has an asterisk. Ratings this season among males age 18-34 — whom advertisers covet because they haven’t always formed brand loyalties and are seen as more susceptible to advertising — are “virtually flat.” The big losses came among viewers older than 55.
Since NASCAR’s biggest stars all appear in a single weekend race, its ratings are more indicative of overall viewer interest than ratings for sports such as football, basketball and baseball, where audiences get splintered across lots of time slots. And NASCAR’s stand-alone race ratings make the sport’s TV appeal seem pretty big — until you compare them to the cumulative appeal of other sports. Consider that weekend college football games just on Disney’s ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 can produce total ratings about five times bigger than NASCAR’s 4.2% race average. And NFL games each week typically produce total ratings well over 10 times bigger than the NASCAR race average.
Bookmark to:
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- Despite ESPN’s bullish predictions, NASCAR TV ratings continue to decline
- Martinsville NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series ratings up 18 percent on SPEED
- NASCAR Phoenix TV ratings equal last year
- Report: Interstate cutting back sponsorship due to NASCAR TV ratings decline
Well, I jave voiced my opinion a couple of times on this issue and I’m still sticking to what I believe this to be true in the diehard nascar fans.
The chase is stupid, there’s no other word to describe it. What was wrong with the way nascar used to be. Every since nextel has been on board, it has continued to change the whole rules book and concept of racin. None of these changes took effect until Dale Sr.’s death and went into the 2002 season. Little by little, nascar started to change things month by month, then when nextel came into the picture, rules started changing weekly and has’nt stopped yet. What was wrong with the points system before? Nothing! What was wrong with the way drivers got their laps back before? Nothing! What was wrong with tappin another car when you were faster than them and movin them outta the way without wreckin them> Nothing! What was wrong with passin another driver anywhere on the track (no yellow lines)? Nothing! Who came up with all these new changes? In my honest opinion, when Winston Cup was forced to get out of Nascar,, that’s when Fans started losin interest. It was’nt a sudden loss, but every since the so called Chase started,,it has shut drivers out and this year’s new point system has really done me in. How many championships do you think Dale E. would have had if it was done the way the chase is today? think about it!
What if he got penalized everytime he wrecked someone and had points taken away or because he and Rusty wallace had a quarrel? lol’s…these are things that fans remember and miss in racin. The fun has been taken out of nascar. When a driver has a 416 point lead over 2nd place and all of a sudden, his points are taken away and then the points go by the driver who has the most wins gets in the points lead,, is ridiculous! Who ever heard of that before? I personally have nothing against Jimmie Johnson,,, after all he’s a great driver and Jeff’s team mate, but what’s right is right and what’s fair is fair. There should be no top 10 or top 12 going for the cmapionship…to me, that’s no exciting. Get nascar back to where it used to be and u’ll get the fans back! This is my last year of watching nascar if Jeff don’t win the championship after leading 16 races and having it go to Jimmy because of nascars changing rules weekly!
Well said, 24. I have the same feelings, and
more. I’ll continue to watch, till JG leaves and
my race days are over. We always attend
the Daytona races and Homestead. I have
already cancelled the 08 hotel reservations
and race tickets. I know, we are just 2 fans
out of thousands. But NASCAR has become
a big joke.
It’s a Toy…and I think it can all be summed up in three words “Shock”, “Surge”, “Stabilizing”. You cannot call racing a Trend as three years of data isn’t enough to call the ’shot’ on this one Big Daddy.
Shock - Dale Sr.
Surge - Let me See, Play, Go
Stablizing - downsized based upon the present day economy - Reality.
Country has alot of folks living on credit, not working and the automobile industry is in real trouble. Can’t take a Family - cost too much. Empty seats you see aren’t just in Racing. Exodus in all Sports is happening…What can be done?
They have the suits who get paid to figure that one out. Should of four years ago when they started playing to ‘real sports fans’ who like rules they can understand. I still can’t figure out the points system and even if I could, who’s to say it’s happening. Too Busy…KISS
Chase Points - 12 Drivers - 10 Tracks. Where you place is what you get. If first driver across, 12 points. If second driver, 11 points. If the third chase driver across the line, 10 points…so on and so forth.
Qualifying Good counts - extra
Shake and Bake (bump in corner any player knowing at these speeds - points taken NOT MONEY)
Coverage has been very good (camera replay action - kuddo’s to them!).
Just my take - without saying who I am a fan of. I just love Racing….
Ratings Down, geeeeeeeeeeeeee, Who’d have guessed that since the RACING has been taken OUT of Stock Cars………..
TURN THE CLOCK BACK !! and the Racing and coverage will go Back UP and Let them RACE……………
The other issue no one seems to be mentioning is the environmental impact. We have US VP Al Gore winning Oscars and Nobel Peace Prizes on enviromental work at the same time oil is about to hit $100 PBL. Racing in all forms is in danger of becoming a relic if it doens’t enact serious and IMMEDIATE green inititaves. This may not play out in the serious NASCAR enclaves (read South) — yet. But make no mistake, the markets that advertisers and the networks are trying to build a fan base and viewership get it. Which brings us to advertisers (aka the sonsors aka racings life blood). They don’t ever want to be put in the position that they will need to justify their racing sponsorships to their customers RE the environmental impact.
Mark my words, one day soon there will be a major sponsor leave the sport citing “environmental concern”. There is NO c-level executive or board of directors that will go against customers, shareholders or the new environmental might and risk their careers — simply not gonna happen. NASCAR (and all racing) needs to get green immediately before it’s too late.
Of course viewing is down, with espn, abc running the
show, it stinks…having to listen to Rusty Wallace
pulling his own chain, sucks, then Doc, used to love
him on old espn, now he’s so boring…I say go back
to Fox and speed, miss Mike Joy, Larry Mac and Hollywood
I really enjoy the trucks and the announcers, they cover
all the drivers and fun to listen to….The new breed,
Brian France has ruined nascar, now they want to sell!!
The elder Mr France’s must be turning in their graves,
so sad, all the good they did and this young punk is
driving it into the ground…..what a waste…
what the heck am I suppose to reply to….myself ??
These ratings are being compared to last years ratings. NASCAR hit a peak in the early 2000’s, but it had to end sometime. Mortgage companies, unethical business practices across the board, and a war that is draining billions of dollars from our country can all be attributed.
Brian France didn’t help any either. There are now less than five track owners of Nextel Cup tracks. This is a problem. A few rich people control the destiny of the sport, and that is the worst thing of all.
Why are ratings down? You have GOT to be kidding!
Let’s see, legislating any emotion out of the sport, or you pay both bucks and points!
Bringing the good corporate image left coast boys in. Sponsers must love them.
Some people here have already said it very well, they took the racing out of stock cars.
Rusty Wallace said it right, they just ain’t hot rods no more.
You think Big E would have put up with this PC garbage? The intolerance, the abating of emotions. Let people be real people. Does anyone remember the ‘79 Daytona race? Let’s go back to the ROCK, do away with restricter plates, make it racing again, where skill and guts not just cunning and a checkbook are the order of the day.
OH, lastly, who in the world wants to look at Brent Musburger? For that matter, who wants to listen to him? I never have nor never will associate him with Nascar. Who’s was that blunder.
Leave the networks out and go back to FOX and Speed….for My money, that’s the only way to keep this sport alive.
Now let’s go racin’ boys!