2019 Indycar tv viewership numbers increase; Viewer data

Indycar viewership is up across the board in 2019 vs 2018

Indycar tv viewers increase 9% overall in 2019 vs 2018; Season finale up 15%

2019 was the first year for NBC as the exclusive media partner with the NTT Indycar Series. According to data from the Nielsen company and digital data and from Adobe Analytics, the audience grew 9%.

16 races drew an average audience of 1.105 million viewers across NBC, NBCSN, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app. That’s up 9% vs. 2018 which saw an average of 1.011 million on ABC, NBCSN and digital.

Eight races were broadcast via NBC. That’s an increase from the five that were shown on the equivalent network in 2018 (ABC).

The other eight races were shown on NBCSN.

Conor Daly and Alexander Rossi - Indy 500
Conor Daly and Alexander Rossi – Indy 500 (Photo: James Black)

2019 Indycar TV numbers

2019 Indy 500 Viewers: 5.475 million

-The Indy 500 saw 300,000 plus spectators on the grounds of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Last year’s Indy 500 was shown via ABC and drew 4.913 million viewers. That’s an 11% increase.

-The season-opening St. Petersburg race in March on NBCSN averaged a TAD of 499,000 viewers, making it the most-wached INDYCAR season opener in the network’s history. The TAD of 499,000 viewers was up 93% vs. NBCSN’s first race last season in Phoenix (primetime; 258,000).

-June’s Road America race on NBC posted a TAD of 1.108 million viewers to stand as NBC Sports’ most-watched INDYCAR race to date, excluding the Indy 500.

-NBCSN’s most-watched race of the 2019 season was at Pocono in August, which averaged a TAD of 553,000 viewers to stand as the most-watched INDYCAR race on cable since last season’s finale from Sonoma on NBCSN (638,000).

-The series finale Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif., averaged a TAD of 736,000 viewers on Sunday afternoon.

That finale is up 15% vs. the 2018 series finale at Sonoma, which aired on NBCSN (638,000). The race averaged a household rating of 0.50 and a TV-only audience of 732,000 viewers.

Indy 500 Tilt shift photography
Indy 500 Tilt shift photography (Photo: Chris Owens)

Where do Indycar fans live?

Here’s an interesting chart. The following shows the top 10 markets across NBC Sports is regards to Indycar viewership.

Pos | Location | TV Rating in Area

1. Indianapolis, Indiana
3.78 Rating

2. Milwaukee, Wisconson
1.62

3. Dayton, Ohio
1.59

4. West Palm Beach, Florida
1.57

5. Ft. Myers, Florida
1.55

6. Sacramento, California
1.40

7. Richmond-Petersburg, Virginia
1.36

8. Columbus, Ohio
1.32

9. Cincinnati, Ohio
1.31

10. Tulsa, Oklahoma
1.30

Note: There are 17 races in a season. Only 16 were used to present the data above. NBC Sports is excluding weather-impacted races — Iowa in 2019 and Barber in 2018 — from all season averages.

Links

NBC Sports | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indycar

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