Photo credit: sidehike on Visual hunt / CC BY-SA Fox reported a modest 2% increase in viewership of comparable Cup race from 2018 to 2019, but it needs to be noted that Foxs part of the schedule does not collide with NFL and college football, which NASCAR fans also enjoy watching. I remember watching it and literally wondering if I was going to see the finish of the race. Hes tasked with not only getting exposure for the sport but measuring that exposure and translating in a way that shows value to stakeholders. Stats. With all the different metrics used to measure a sport these days however, it can be complicated. Yes, a team can still dominate all season and lose a championship to a flat tire, but at least its not just an artificial points reset. We all know what Im talking about. If NASCAR wants to fix the ongoing issues with viewership, fixing their way of broadcasting commercials would go a very long way in those efforts. 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. 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 was not a great race. So that's a positive viewership increase of 2%. This brought even more attention and money to the sport and school was soon out. However, like Johnsons dominance, I doubt that this would have been as much of a problem were it not for other factors that were far more damaging. The crowd sold out it's 30% capacity soon after the event was . That. Dale Earnhardt Jr. retired at the end of the 2017 season. Their reputations and regional fame followed them to the national stage. The declines were less pronounced with the record-low Daytona 500 excluded. On Monday, the Bristol Motor Speedway dirt track hosted the NASCAR Cup Series. Where . Photo credit: brandonzeman on Visual Hunt / CC BY-SA Veterans like Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick are future Hall of Fame drivers with fairly large followings, and a strong crop of young drivers are making names for themselves. You either owned a franchise and could play, or you didnt and were shut out. The 2023 NASCAR season is underway and it is bound to be very exciting in the second year of the NextGen car. This isnt to say that the initial Car of Tomorrow wasnt a disasterit wasbut at the time, fans were plenty vocal about safety after the loss of the sports biggest icon. There are still plenty of obscene profit breaks, but its far less aggravating when you can still see the action and leader board on part of the screen. Much like Kyle Petty, he ultimately became more known for his good-guy personality and his lineage than for his achievements on the racetrack. . However, these deals may be stopping the brand from adapting to consumers' changing viewing habits. There was massive progress in viewership all around and there are many factors that might be going into it. 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. Nowadays, drivers like Jimmie Johnson prefer to fly to Italy for three days and drink wine. There was suddenly lots and lots of prize money available and other full-time competitors like Bill Elliott, Dale Earnhardt and Darrell Waltrip joined up to give chase. NASCAR is clearly falling behind other motorsports in a new era of television. 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. Danica turned out to be a huge bustas many people who followed the sport closely, including yours truly, predicted she would be. No longer will teams win titles by dominating speedways; driver skill will be more of a factor, as it should be. Compared to Week 2 of last year's USFL, which consisted of two games on broadcast and two on cable, the XFL's Week 2 audience was down just slightly (661K to 655K). 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. Tiger Woods was great for golf. Kyle Larsons win, which averaged 3.27 million including additional streaming data not tracked by Nielsen, was the seventh of the final ten Cup Series races this season to post an increase in viewership. (Just in case you were wondering, Fox is unlikely to name a replacement for Darrell Waltrip if he is replaced, that is though we should find out more next month. Many former fans consider this state of affairs to be ridiculous. 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. NBC was slightly ahead of last years pace before the Nov. 10 race at Phoenix, but it drew 2.567 million, the least-watched Cup race on broadcast television since 2001 (not counting rainouts). 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. NASCARs popularity is down and the ratings reflect it. While retired drivers still are visible within the world of NASCAR acting as team managers, commentators, or guests, without the familiar presence of these stars on the track, people can, and have lost some level of interest in NASCAR. With his brilliant head wrench Chad Knaus on the pit box, the #48 team for years remorselessly laid the field to waste when playoff time started. This is the most viewed season-opener since 2015. In other NASCAR action, the Xfinity Series race at Las Vegas turned in a 0.7 and 1.28 million. It may seem good on the surface, but theres more beneath that makes this concerning. I was critical of the Chase in plenty of columns, but I felt like I really got the point across with this one about it. The NASCAR ratings for the 2022 season are the best they have been in four years. 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). Advertising and sponsorship deals are the lifeblood of spectator sports, that is why the TV spots for the Superbowl are some of the most expensive in television. The previous days Xfinity Series finale drew a 0.6 (flat) and 1.01 million (+3%) on NBCSN and last Fridays Truck Series finale drew a 0.30 (+3%) and 473,000 (-4%) on FS1. You could say it was NASCARs New Coke, except Coca-Cola was smart enough to change the formula back in response to furious customer backlash. From their colorful beginnings to what is now a billion-dollar sporting event, NASCAR has continued to provide high octane entertainment for its millions of fans and supporters. Photo credit: sarahstierch on Visualhunt.com / CC BY NASCAR moved the Brickyard 400 to September . It was the insistent implementation of it over loud objections of fans. NASCAR Home. Photo credit: wjarrettc on Visual hunt / CC BY Related:15 Abandoned And Forgotten NASCAR Race Tracks. In a piece published in the Athletic last week, Ethan Strauss reported that the ratings for network NBA broadcasts have declined by 45 percent since 2011-12. 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. Most die-hard fans of NASCAR are those that have followed it the longest. Related: NASCARs Daytona 500 ratings indicate a worrisome trend. For the first time in over a decade and a half, they seem to be headed in the right direction. Earlier this month, NASCAR said the Confederate flag no longer will be allowed at its events. NASCARs viewership continues to fall after the ratings for last weekends race at Auto Club Speedway were released on Tuesday morning. Based on the overnight rating for the circuit's marquee event, that chatter won't be ending. While the 2023 NASCAR season kicked off Sunday with Daytona 500 winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr. racing his way into the May 21 NASCAR All-Star Race, North Wilkesboro Speedway construction crews are . And then, in 1979, came flag-to-flag TV coverage of the Daytona 500 and other NASCAR Cup races. The cars already were mostly spec at that point, and the sport was doing just finebooming even. Kyle Busch, NASCARs black hat, won his second title. As a result, teams with more resourcessuch as Hendrick Motorsports and Roush Racingwon big for years. The 2021 campaign includes six road course races, a dirt race at Bristol (! 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. It took time, maybe too much time, but NASCAR is finally addressing the three biggest reasons for the decline of the sport. Nascar, long a symbol of Southern heritage, has become an unlikely battleground in the debate over whether the Confederate battle flag still has a place in America. NASCAR's TV ratings began to fall; the once all-mighty numbers began to show not an increase, but a decline. These are bold changes, but this variety of tracks will test drivers and teams at every level. View 2021 Bristol tv ratings below. NASCAR rose to prominence in the 1980s and 90s as TV became more and more involved. That's the first time in a decade that that has happened, Hebrst said. NBC reported Monday that its broadcast of the NASCAR Cup championship race from Homestead-Miami Speedway in Florida drew an average of 3.759 million viewers, its best audience for its half of the season. This year's Daytona 500, for example, drew 4.8 million viewers a. I can also dispute other reasons for it that I see being offered today. 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 XFL's ratings were disappointing in Week One. Please email the author at nmcdonald@thestar.ca, Copyright 2023 | Powered by CityMediaInc.com, Happy Birthday, GM Canada, and thanks for the (many) ride(s), Racing Roundup: Great Grand Prix in Austin, despite actions by stewards; Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame induction video; Alonso wont drive in IndyCar in 2019 or ever. It's no secret that NASCAR is experiencing a variety of issues related to its popularity, despite a slight recent uptick in TV ratings. NASCARs NextGen car shows promise and one huge issue, NASCARs Daytona 500 ratings indicate a worrisome trend. Lack of manufacturer identity may have been a reason some hardcore fans left the sport in the early 1990s, but that doesnt seem to me to be a valid reason for the sports popularity plunge since 2005. Feb. 25, 2023, at 5:39 p.m. Farewell, Fontana: NASCAR's Last Weekend at a Racing Gem. Last year, nearly 70 million unique viewers tuned in to . Its largely forgotten now, because the sports current elimination format playoff system at least had some thought put into it. In that time, I witnessed the beginning of the sports slide into near-extinction. That is a decrease of nearly 50%, and in some races this kind of decline could be seen in the stands too. There were often timesand Im not exaggerating thiswhen a viewer would see maybe five laps of racing, a two-minute break, and then just two more laps of racing before another break. 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. The above car is a NASCAR entry that is supposed to look like a Toyota Supra. 1) Just like all the other major racing series in the world, NASCAR has become a money deal. HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 17: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Toyota along with his wife [+] Samantha and son Brexton pose with the trophy after winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Homestead Speedway on November 17, 2019 in Homestead, Florida. In todays media world they are now just a small part of what is used to measure the popularity of the sport. And those ways that didnt always involve traditional broadcast TV. Gordon scored the most points overall of any driver in 2004, 2007, and 2014. As one of motorsport's most popular race series, NASCAR has a long and colorful history that dates to the US prohibition erain the 1930s. So 16% drop in terms of total TV consumption of those TVs that are actually tuned in over the last two years, NASCAR shares up 18%. Formula 1 and IndyCar are on the rise while NASCAR is slowly declining on a weekly and yearly basis. I also think it's healthy just in terms of the interest. Ratings fell 19% and viewership 21% from last year, when it was the second race of the season (3.2, 5.50M). The NASCAR ratings for the 2022 season are the best they have been in four years. There are still 11 races on intermediate tracks, but its finally moving in the right direction. Statistics for NASCAR indicate that63% 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. Comments Off on What Caused The Decline of NASCAR? The event was down 5.6% compared to last year at 4.570 million average viewers on FOX. After a marked decline in the middle of the previous decade, NASCAR's television numbers have been on the rebound over the past five years. A Former Reporters Thoughts, Copyright 2023 A Great Number of Things. The league's first game of the 2023 slate, the Vipers vs. Renegades, drew 1.54 . That marks a 10% decline compared to the year-ago 87.1 million viewers, and a 16% drop compared to the analogous period during the 2018-19 campaign. Having followed the sport in the time frame when it began, I can offer what I believe are the real reasons for the decline of NASCAR. Nothing against Jimmie Johnson for winning titles with the rules as written, but he only managed that feat twice. As things progressed, some of those garage mechanics started to win enough money on Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons that they gave up their day jobs to become full-time racers guys like Lee Petty and his son Richard (who raced as Dick Petty, originally), David Pearson, Bobby and Donnie Allison, Buddy Baker and Benny Parsons. The drops: 10% in one year, 19% in two years, 38% in three years, and, good golly Miss Molly, 51% since 2015, when NBC picked up the second half of the season in a giant 10-year contract, with Fox. This was a problem that actually needed to be addressed and wasnt. But the sports most dedicated fans were (and are) still in the Southeast, and Southerners are loyal to the core to their heritage. The previous two races the Daytona Roval and Homestead-Miami posted double-digit increases over the same Cup Series stops last season, but those races had the benefit of moving up from the lower-rated summer portion of the schedule. It rewards winning and risk taking, where the Chase rewarded points racing and avoiding risk. He pointed out that despite the ratings decline, NASCAR achieved a "double-digit share increase" last year. For NASCAR it meant fewer butts in seats at tracks, and fewer sponsors willing to part with what little revenue they were earning. And the season will conclude at Phoenix again, a more exciting venue than Miami where the finale had been for years. Risk taking, where the Chase rewarded points racing and avoiding risk the XFL & # x27 ; changing habits. 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