Professional sports adapted as well, understanding, and learning, how to measure viewership and show that value to their stakeholders. NASCAR's social media channels have piled up nearly 2 billion social impressions (the number of times its content was viewed) and more than 92 million fan engagements (retweets, likes, shares). Dr. Jon Lewis (aka Paulsen) has been covering the sports media industry on a daily basis since 2006 as the founder and main writer of Sports Media Watch. Im also someone who became a disenchanted former fan myself. Bowlesy thinks there needs to be an element of risk for racing to be exciting; I dont tune in to races to see a car potentially fly into a catch fence and injure spectators. HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 17: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Toyota, celebrates after [+] winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Homestead Speedway on November 17, 2019 in Homestead, Florida. 2.27.2023. For instance: The non-stop promotion of Danica Patrick, as if she was the Second Coming (she wasnt), turned off a lot of fans. Photo credit: tequilamike on Visual hunt / CC BY Formula 1 and IndyCar are on the rise while NASCAR is slowly declining on a weekly and yearly basis. The Yankees were always good for baseball. Photo credit: Zach Catanzareti Photo on Visualhunt.com / CC BY-SA Photo credit: sidehike on VisualHunt / CC BY-SA A driver dominates a race until the last lap and then gets crashed on purpose by the guy who goes on to win. Yet instead of focusing their marketing on Johnsons unequaled supremacy, NASCAR chose to put all of their marketing eggs into the Danica Patrick basket, believing a swimsuit model who could drive a racecar would save the sport. After two DNFs in the first two Chase events resulting from simple bad luck, just like that his title hopes were gone. NASCAR Home. IndyCars race at St. Petersberg was also up from 1.219 million viewers last season. NASCAR viewership numbers on decline for years NASCAR viewers are down 19%. NASCAR looks beyond declining attendance, TV ratings They were even more upset when NASCAR changed its playoff system in January 2014 to create a winner-take-all race among four drivers in. It was during this timethat "Bootleggers"- those whoproduce anddeliver prohibited whiskey/alcohol also had modified delivery cars that were fast enough to be able to evade, outrun and escape law enforcement should they be spotted. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images), Nascar's TV Future May Or May Not Include Streaming Its Top Tier Races. NASCARs NextGen car shows promise and one huge issue, NASCARs Daytona 500 ratings indicate a worrisome trend. Why poll the fans if youre just going to ignore them? Their retirements are a reason for the ratings decline in 2018. This ability to adapt however seems insufficient as NASCAR has recorded a staggering 50% viewership drop in the last 5 years along with substantial admission decline that has varied from 12 -30% percent from 2012 to 2018. And based on what we see today, NASCAR seems to be on an upward trajectory and shows no signs of slowing down. The Xfinity Series at Indianapolis had a rating of 0.67, with 1.249 million viewers, totaling more than F1 Pocono TV Ratings July 26, 2022 NASCAR Home. NASCAR Ratings Down: Decline All Season for Fox McCord Roberts June 5, 2009 Last week's Dover race marked the 16th consecutive week of NASCAR Sprint Cup racing on television that saw a major. They are included along with social media engagement, streaming, and the like. And he had a very large fan base. It was another case of costly arrogance; as much as fans loved NASCAR, they didnt love it enough to put up with an endlessly saturated marketing campaign featuring occasional snippets of racing each week. And maybe this time, they will have learned from their mistakes. It has been a challenge for the sport to consistently grab the attention of its audience; however, there are reasons for optimism as the 2022 season represented a step in the right direction. The fact is, NBC could bring Ken Squier and Gentleman Ned Jarrett back into the booth and call back the late, great Chris Economaki from Heaven to report from pit road, and it would still face the same big hurdle: selling a sport that is losing popularity and has three months of overlap with football. Photo credit: Ford Racing on VisualHunt / CC BY A lot of people said they were done when the order from NASCAR to have at it, boys came down. NHL regular season ratings were down 12% this year. In the FOX/NBC era of NASCAR TV (since 2001), Daytona 500 ratings peaked in 2006 on NBC with 19.4 million viewers and an 11.3 rating. If it did, I would really appreciate your support. So if Im right, in a few years NASCAR may become Americas summer sport again. The Patriots domination was great for the NFL. It makes a world of difference watching on TV. Im not sure why people would think this, although Id actually had some heated debates with Tom Bowles at the Frontstretch about it. In the early 2000s, NASCAR was soaring. The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season averaged 2.93 million viewers across FOX, FS1, NBC and NBCSN, down 4% from last year (3.06M), down 6% from 2019 (3.11M) and the least-watched season on record. Translation: the drivers are paying for the pleasure of racing. It was the first NCS race on the dirt in 50 years. I'm just . Keep in mind that excludes the Monday rainout at Talladega. The crowd sold out it's 30% capacity soon after the event was . NASCAR power rankings during the 2023 season, NASCAR odds: Betting lines for each race and championship futures, NASCAR ratings on big rise compared to recent years in 2022, NASCAR standings: Cup, Xfinity, and Truck points during the 2023 season, Share up 9%, largest for Race #2 since 2017, Share up 2%, largest for Daytona 500 since 2016, Second most-watched non-points race since 2016. It was the first time in a while where we didn't have a decline on NBC. In fact, Nascar could just dump it all on Netflix - which, according to one study, is responsible for half the decline of TV viewership alone. Photo credit: Zach Catanzareti Photo on Best Running / CC BY (Photo by AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images). Ill never forget seeing Elliott Sadlers terrifying end-over-end crash at Talladega in 2003 and seeing it again in every single ad for Talladega races for the next 3-4 years. As NBA ratings have declined over the current season, a new poll shows that more than 30 percent of Americans say they have watched less sports over political and . The XFL also had a better Week 2 performance than the 2019 Alliance of American . You can contact him here or on the Sports Media Watch Twitter page. Photo credit: brandonzeman on Visual Hunt / CC BY-SA The current NBA broadcast deal nets the league $2.6 billion a year, however, a new report says the next one may be closer to $8 billion annually. This was a problem that actually needed to be addressed and wasnt. Photo credit: Darryl W. Moran Photography on Visual Hunt / CC BY-ND So here are three actual reasons for the decline of NASCAR. Sunday, when the big-league Monster Energy Series took the green flag, it was better but there were still an awful lot of empty seats. Though Nielsen had been king of all things TV for generations, the truth was they were having trouble keeping up as people began to shift their viewing habits. That doesnt mean they dont have talent, or arent brave. That isnt insignificant when it comes to explaining the decline of NASCAR. The NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway topped all forms of motorsports last weekend, with a 2.05 rating, 3.373 million viewers. The Nielsen ratings for NASCAR's most-watched races, such as The Daytona 500, have plummeted in recent years. Photo credit: royal_broil on Best Running / CC BY-SA In that time, I witnessed the beginning of the sports slide into near-extinction. FONTANA, Calif. Most of NASCAR's Cup Series drivers feel like they're saying their final goodbye to a dear old friend this weekend. Should there be concerns with the current trend of viewership? After sweeping claims of a toxic work environment throughout 2020, the star and her show have been scrambling to make things right. Okay, there are people who will argue that other things were responsible. I remember watching it and literally wondering if I was going to see the finish of the race. That exposure now comes not just from TV, but through streaming platforms, attendance, and even social media. The top of the mountain in NASCAR circles back then was known as the Grand National Division but in 1971, the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., then-manufacturer of Winston cigarettes, contracted with NASCAR to become title sponsor and the Winston Cup Series (to be known thereafter as simply Cup, regardless of subsequent sponsorships) was born,. In other NASCAR action, the Xfinity Series race at Las Vegas turned in a 0.7 and 1.28 million. Bookmark this page for NASCAR ratings as another year of racing is officially underway! The. Up until the middle of the 21st century the measured pairs of eyeballs watching NASCAR on TV were counted, analyzed and, for the most part, cheered. More to the point: both sports need to be patient . People love a winner, they love to hate a winner, and they love to see a dynasty get taken down. The last race at. It is possible that another playoff system to sustain interest in TV programming for nine months could be introduced with a radically revamped schedule in 2021 and it is possible that NASCAR could go back to the old way and determine a champ on points over an entire season. I covered NASCAR for six seasons for two excellent racing websites, Thats Racin (the Charlotte Observers racing site) and the Frontstretch. Most die-hard fans of NASCAR are those that have followed it the longest. I can also dispute other reasons for it that I see being offered today. They are now just one part of a bigger picture: one pixel of a screenshot. This is the most viewed season-opener since 2015. American Hartford Gold. Sundays NASCAR Cup Series race from Las Vegas averaged a 2.6 rating and 4.36 million viewers on FOX, marking the lowest rated edition of the race since it debuted in 1998 and the smallest audience since at least 2001 (viewership prior to 2002 was not available). They got famous because of word-of-mouth (Hey, didja hear about that new kid blowin em away over at Hickory?), weekly newspapers like National Speed Sport News (called simply Speed Sport and whos Editors Notebook by the late Chris Economaki was a Must Read) and magazines like Stock Car Racing. (It wasnt a tough call to make, if you actually looked at her results instead of her figure.). While NASCARs ratings were a record low for a second event of the season, the NTT IndyCar Series found themselves with a massive jump in ratings. Yes, thats actually true; read it again if you need to. A fairly new challenge that spectator sports now have to contend with is the rise of the various streaming services that offer varied content that is available across a variety of platforms. He is likely to build a fan base fast. The NASCAR ratings for the 2022 season are the best they have been in four years. Viewership for the 2019 Phoenix race was 22% lower than in 2018. The cars already were mostly spec at that point, and the sport was doing just finebooming even. For NASCAR it meant fewer butts in seats at tracks, and fewer sponsors willing to part with what little revenue they were earning. Weekly races at smaller locales have come off even worse. Declining television ratings have been a near-constant part of the NASCAR conversation for years. which is a 50 percent decline . And while 2020 has been anything but usual especially in the sports world, NASCAR was the one sport that didnt suffer a significant ratings drop. [Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 11.9, network PR]. Gordon scored the most points overall of any driver in 2004, 2007, and 2014. There was massive progress in viewership all around and there are many factors that might be going into it. The decline of NASCAR was a combination of ill-considered decisions: the implementation of a contrived playoff, poorly thought out broadcasting contracts, and departing from unique and venerable venues for dull, unexciting ones. Most notably, Sunday was an all-time low in viewership for the second race of a NASCAR season ever. After years of seeing its once enormous audience dwindle to almost nothing, NASCAR is finally righting the ship. NASCAR did (and still does) market the possibility of spectacular wrecks. The broadcasts really were over-saturated with ads enough to drive fans away. And one other thing about NASCAR in those days: the races were open to anybody who could qualify. 2) When NASCAR established the franchise system in 2016, the league essentially became a closed shop. The decision . In 2008 Kyle Busch smoked the field for the first 26 races, winning eight of them and setting the NASCAR world on fire with his brash and unapologetic racing style. He said its important to look at the bigger picture, a bigger picture that shows how media is consumed. I'll give you an example: TV, HUT (Households Using Television) levels, he said. The six-race consecutive increase in viewership prior to Talladega is something that everyone can understand and helps reinforce just how healthy NASCAR is. The television ratings for sports in 2020 reflect the poll results and the frustration many feel toward the constant sloganeering and political pandering. OTHER VIEWS? 2 days ago The Kansas City Chiefs are expected to decline running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire's fifth-year option, which in turn makes him a logical candidate to be traded this offseason. Far from it. These are bold changes, but this variety of tracks will test drivers and teams at every level. However, the second race of the 2022 season saw a more significant drop in viewership compared to previous seasons. It was a radical change to a sport that didnt need radical changes. Statistics for NASCAR indicate that 63% are male, 20% are minorities and 47% are between the ages of 18 and 44, with the majority of this age bracket being in the older end, the number of which is also dropping yearly. which is a 50 percent decline . Compared to last years fourth race of the season, Phoenix, ratings fell a tick (from 2.7) and viewership 5% (from 4.58M). The Decline of NASCAR, Non-Reason #1: The Cars Are Too Spec I'll submit that this is a reason a few fans I know stopped watching the sport. Fox sees 12% decline over last year's ratings: 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 . Ill start with a few things that I dont believe caused the decline of NASCAR, then Ill share what I think really did. but the mainstream media claiming the political/social justice shift in sports has nothing to do with the decline in viewership are whistling past the graveyard. winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Homestead Speedway on November 17, 2019 in Homestead, Florida. Related:15 Rules Every NASCAR Employee Has To Follow. If you want to attribute the decline of NASCAR to arrogant leadership, look no further than that single act. NASCAR is clearly falling behind other motorsports in a new era of television. Anyone who was watching then could tell you that wasnt unusual at all. But more importantly, the racing isnt anywhere near as exciting at the cookie cutters, as I so eloquently explained here. Strauss also reported that TNT's viewership is down 40 percent since the 2011-12 season, and ESPN has seen a decline of about 20 percent during the same time. Certain segments of fans, and media, began to cry that sky was falling. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images). Yes, sports ratings as a whole are down, but NASCAR's fall is alarming: Daytona 500 viewership from 2001 to 2009 ranged from 16 to 19 million. On the other hand, NASCAR will go to full-screen commercials on a regular basis which affects the way a fan can follow the race. It could be just Mike Joy and Jeff Gordon up in the booth, which would sound like a library compared to NBC.). As the son of one of the greatest racecar drivers in history, Junior also had an impossible standard to live up to. Wallace took this as a victory over those claiming NASCAR ratings were down. However, in recent years that growth has slowed. NASCAR moved away from tracks where drivers push and shove and fight both other racecars and the track, and moved to aero-dependent speedways where engineers in the garage determined winners. 1) Just like all the other major racing series in the world, NASCAR has become a money deal. Compared to the fourth Xfinity race of last season, from Phoenix, ratings fell a tick (from 0.8) but viewership increased (from 1.19M). There are not many. I dont often see NASCARs ill-conceived playoff idea as a reason people cite for the decline of NASCAR in articles I read these days, but I promise you, that was not the case when I covered the sport. Oxford Gold . The Daytona Road Course averaged 4.750 million viewers during the event. And that is for the Indianapolis 500 of stock cars. Photo credit: balpeck on Best Running / CC BY-SA However, NASCAR attendance numbers have fluctuated over the last decade. Thirty-five percent of participants said they were now watching less sports due to political and social messaging, whereas only 11 percent said they now watch more. Fox Sportss coverage was particularly abominable, with a seemingly endless parade of commercial interruptions mixed with the Ford Cutaway Car, the Home Depot Pit Crew Member, the Viagra Boner Of The Race, whatever, all during green flag racing. On Monday, the Bristol Motor Speedway dirt track hosted the NASCAR Cup Series. In case you werent there or dont remember, in 2004 NASCAR welcomed their new series sponsor, Nextel (now Sprint), with a new playoff system called the Chase. Below, we take a look at the NASCAR ratings over the course of the 2023 season with an up-to-date analysis of each event. who has many relatives from the South, was merely offering his opinion. I think thats some pretty solid footing.. Well, it might be as easy as the product fans are seeing on their televisions over the course of a race. For the first time in over a decade and a half, they seem to be headed in the right direction. Ill submit that this is a reason a few fans I know stopped watching the sport. It didnt help that a hugely popular driver underperformed, but that shouldnt have caused this much of a free fall. Brandon Kochkodin. The coverage goes through the entire event. Next years championship race will be held in Phoenix, and even though the 2020 race should draw a packed house of 42,000, or 7,000 more than the estimated crowd at Homestead, fans have said they dont like the racing at Phoenix as much. Im not buying the its too safe bit as a cause for the decline of NASCAR. Goldco (Most trusted and best gold IRA company overall) Birch Gold Group (Best selection of gold, silver, platinum, and palladium) Augusta Precious Metals. The season ended with two flat tires. The NASCAR ratings for the 2022 season are the best they have been in four years. 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