Fox and FS1 for its package of 15 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races this season averaged 4.9 million viewers, down 12% from 5.6 million last year and down 14% from 5.7 million in ’15, which was the first deal under a new media rights agreement. Those figures exclude Bristol this year, which was run on a Monday, and the Pocono race last year. After a 5% viewership bump to start the season with the Daytona 500, Fox Sports only saw one more race with an audience uptick. That race, from Texas Motor Speedway on Fox, had the benefit of a Sunday afternoon window in ’17 versus a Saturday night window in ’16. Eight of the 15 races saw double-digit percentage declines compared to ’16, despite later start times this season for many Sunday races.
|
DATE
|
NET
|
TRACK
|
VIEWERS (000)
|
PREV.
|
% +/-
|
|
2/26/2017
|
Fox
|
Daytona
|
11,922
|
11,357
|
5%
|
|
3/5/2017
|
Fox
|
Atlanta
|
6,597
|
6,800
|
-3%
|
|
3/12/2017
|
Fox
|
Las Vegas
|
5,973
|
7,228
|
-17%
|
|
3/19/2017
|
Fox
|
Phoenix
|
5,389
|
6,633
|
-19%
|
|
3/26/2017
|
Fox
|
Auto Club
|
5,188
|
6,809
|
-24%
|
|
4/2/2017
|
FS1
|
Martinsville
|
3,963
|
4,232
|
-6%
|
|
4/9/2017
|
Fox
|
Texas
|
4,528
|
4,339
|
4%
|
|
4/30/2017
|
Fox
|
Richmond
|
4,579
|
4,700
|
-3%
|
|
5/7/2017
|
Fox
|
Talladega
|
5,897
|
6,656
|
-11%
|
|
5/13/2017
|
FS1
|
Kansas
|
2,620
|
3,142
|
-17%
|
|
5/28/2017
|
Fox
|
Charlotte*
|
4,636
|
5,731
|
-19%
|
|
6/4/2017
|
FS1
|
Dover
|
3,356
|
3,985
|
-16%
|
|
6/18/2017
|
FS1
|
Michigan
|
3,144
|
3,451
|
-9%
|
|
6/25/2017
|
FS1
|
Sonoma
|
3,240
|
3,896
|
-17%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| NOTES: Bristol moved to Monday this year; Pocono ran on a Monday last year. Both excluded from numbers. Texas moved from Saturday primetime to Sunday afternoon for '17. * = Race had a 105-minute weather delay. |
THROWING A CAUTION: NBC on Saturday night drew 5.42 million viewers for the Coke Zero 400 from Daytona, which was NBC’s first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race of the season. The race was down 5% from last year. The race two years ago, NBC’s first with the event, was delayed by weather and did not start until 11:00pm before ending around 2:30am. That race drew 4.0 million viewers.
