Fox Sports' broadcast of the fifth round of the inaugural Formula E season generated a new high for the network's online streaming service Fox Sports GO. Saturday's race in downtown Miami was the most-viewed Formula E race ever on Fox Sports GO with 1,240 unique streamers. The number represents a 454% increase from the previous high. Fox Sports 2's live broadcast of the Miami ePrix drew a .06 rating as 25,000 viewers tuned in. Additionally, Fox Sports 1's same-day replay of the race, which was won by e.dams-Renault driver Nicolas Prost, attracted 89,000 viewers and had a .08 rating. For Fox Sports' Formula E host Bob Varsha, the streaming number successfully highlights the series' approach of targeting a younger, non-traditional motorsports audience. "We lament a lot in the motorsports media about how young people seem to be falling out of love with the automobile. They don’t look at cars the way their fathers did," he said. "What Formula E is doing, and they make no bones about it, is trying to address that new fan by saying, 'Here’s something new.' It’s groundbreaking. It’s pioneering. And it's the future of motoring." Fox Sports currently devotes only a limited amount of resources toward its Formula E production and airs only the races. However, for the series' U.S. debut in Miami last weekend, Fox Sports produced a 30-minute pre-race show hosted by Varsha. It will do the same for the second U.S. race in Long Beach on April 4. Varsha said that Formula E's "one-day show" concept is attractive to broadcasters as it is relatively economical in terms of facilities and resources. While Varsha said that he is not the right person to speak about the network's long-term plans for the series, he believes it is the beginning of something "very good down the road." Varsha: "This is really where the future is in terms of our everyday mobility, so perhaps a new generation of fans will be intrigued by that alternative technology."
