Verizon IndyCar Series Sees Sharp TV Viewership Drop During '17 Season

The Verizon IndyCar Series averaged 1.14 million viewers for 17 races across ABC, NBCSN and CNBC in ’17, marking the open-wheel racing circuit’s lowest average since ’14. The average was down 11% from 1.28 million viewers last season for 15 races (which was IndyCar's best season since '11), and down from 1.16 million viewers for 16 races two years ago. While IndyCar was down in '17, it did see a 34% gain from '14-16. Much of the year-over-year drop this season can be attributed to the series’ marquee race -- the Indianapolis 500 on ABC -- seeing a 9% drop from ’16, which was the 100th running of the race. ABC’s package of five races averaged 2.31 million viewers, down 8% from ’16. NBCSN again carried the bulk of the IndyCar TV package, averaging 497,000 viewers, which was up 4% from last season. When including average minute audience streaming numbers from NBC Sports Digital, IndyCar races averaged a total audience delivery number of 507,000 viewers, up 3% from '16 and just short of the record 510,000 in '15. NBCSN aired last Sunday night’s season finale from Sonoma Raceway, averaging 528,000 viewers. That figure is down from 536,000 last year and marks the least-viewed IndyCar finale since ’14, when NBCSN drew 280,000 viewers for a late Saturday night race from Auto Club Speedway on Labor Day weekend.