World Rally Championship Television Audience Increases By 35 Percent

Figures released by the World Rally Championship show a jump in the number of people watching the sport on TV this year. Data gathered by sports marketing research company Repucom for the first 10 rounds of the season, up to and including Coates Hire Rally Australia, show a large rise in both audience and broadcast time compared with '13. Total audience across the 10 rallies rose by 35% to 581.81 million viewers, while broadcast time increased by 70% to 7,275 hours. Most regions saw notable audience increases in comparison to '13, including Central and South America (up 155%) and Europe (up 34%). The season opener Rallye Monte-Carlo netted the largest audience to date with 86.75 million viewers tuning in, while Neste Oil Rally Finland achieved the highest broadcast time with 880 hours (WRC).