Formula One has announced "some of its highest ever increases in viewership crowned by boosts of as much as 500% for races watched on television in Mexico," according to Christian Sylt for FORBES. It drove total reach in Mexico to 3.4 million and was "fuelled by the return of its home Grand Prix after a 23-year hiatus." The results "vindicate the plan to return to Mexico" which was led by F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone, who is sometimes criticized "for taking the series to new markets at the expense of races in countries which have motorsport heritage." It was one of "a series of gains in key markets which was driven by F1’s strategic selection of broadcasters and the accelerating popularity of the sport due to local drivers or races." The audience in Italy, F1’s second-biggest market after Brazil, "rose by nearly 1.5 million to 32.9 million and the Media Report states that it got an early lift from Sebastian Vettel winning for Ferrari at the Malaysian Grand Prix in March." The F1 audience in the Netherlands "accelerated thanks to the début of up-and-coming driver Max Verstappen." Reach almost doubled, up to 3.5 million viewers, even before Verstappen "scored his first podium." The return of the Austrian Grand Prix "drove an increase in F1 viewing figures on free-to-air broadcaster ORF." The Media Report states that "reach in Austria increased to 3.7 million viewers, hugely impressive considering the population of 8.5 million." There was however "a dark cloud" in the U.S. where F1 is broadcast on NBC Sports with some races shown on the main NBC channel. Total season reach "was down 9.5% from 12.6 million in 2014 to 11.4 million which equates to just 4% of the TV population in the U.S." (FORBES, 4/24).
