From F1, Rally, Le Mans, Drifting, or Touring Car championships that are broadcast on TV or via the internet, viewers now have even more access to alternative motorsports events that can offer the same level of adrenaline fueled excitement that NASCAR can provide. And that is for the Indianapolis 500 of stock cars. "While it's easy to cite 'cord-cutting' as a catch-all explanation for what's going on, keep in mind, Nielsen ratings do incorporate streaming services, albeit imperfectly . 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. Related: NASCAR ratings on big rise compared to recent years in 2022. You can contact him here or on the Sports Media Watch Twitter page. But that in itself wasnt necessarily the crime. The 2021 campaign includes six road course races, a dirt race at Bristol (! Atlanta has had some classics, but that was partly by virtue of the venue hosting the championship race, such as Alan Kulwickis unforgettable title win in 1992. And as recently as 2013, the race drew 16.5. All eight CBS-owned CW affiliates have "declined to air" LIV Golf's tournaments, according to Rice & Hayes of DEADLINE. Many fans, especially those who might want to disparage the sport, dont understand that just because the TV numbers are down or not at the sky-high levels they once were, doesnt mean NASCAR is facing any sort of loss of popularity. The various platforms of social media have been a convenient and fast way to obtain information and entertainment on a particular sporting event. Those moments generate interestand rivalries, which every sport needs. 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. This is the most viewed season-opener since 2015. As a result, teams with more resourcessuch as Hendrick Motorsports and Roush Racingwon big for years. And those ways that didnt always involve traditional broadcast TV. Now, they buy their way in. Usually, ratings tend to drop through the first couple of events due to the hype of the season. The television ratings for sports in 2020 reflect the poll results and the frustration many feel toward the constant sloganeering and political pandering. And while some ran their own cars, most were independent contractors who had their expenses paid by their car owner and then split the winnings (that division of money was usually 60-40) with said owner, who paid the bills. At the start of the 21st Century NASCAR TV ratings, meant everything. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images). (It wasnt a tough call to make, if you actually looked at her results instead of her figure.). That exposure now comes not just from TV, but through streaming platforms, attendance, and even social media. They are included along with social media engagement, streaming, and the like. Q: You say NASCAR continues to grow and like you, . Its safe to say this is not ideal for the sport and there should be some concern on why ratings continue to fall. Their retirements are a reason for the ratings decline in 2018. A fan of cars and bikes, and most anything with an engine, he divides his time between work and family. On Monday, the Bristol Motor Speedway dirt track hosted the NASCAR Cup Series. However, these deals may be stopping the brand from adapting to consumers' changing viewing habits. The six-race consecutive increase in viewership prior to Talladega is something that everyone can understand and helps reinforce just how healthy NASCAR is. In addition, the current playoff format, while far from perfect, isnt nearly as unpalatable as the Chase was. 1) Just like all the other major racing series in the world, NASCAR has become a money deal. This includes the total viewership, the percentage being up or down compared to last year, and extra information that can range from unfortunate circumstances for television coverage to the household share. What we try to do is boil it down to more simple sound bites that are A: true and B: accurate, Hebrst said. It rewards winning and risk taking, where the Chase rewarded points racing and avoiding risk. Then they sharply declined in Week Two. The NFL only went down 9%, but please, tell me about anthem kneelers. NASCARs TV ratings began to fall; the once all-mighty numbers began to show not an increase, but a decline. Photo credit: Zach Catanzareti Photo on Visualhunt.com / CC BY-SA Johnson is getting some commiserations from the fans after the ratings came out. Far from it. If that contributed to NASCARs decline, however, that is on NASCAR. Yes, thats actually true; read it again if you need to. 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. 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. The disappointing ratings continue a downward trend in Daytona 500 viewership, which has been steadily declining since Fox scored 18.7 million viewers in 2005 with a household rating of 10.9 . Photo credit: sarahstierch on Visualhunt.com / CC BY But theyve also improved the schedule, the broadcasts, and the method of determining a champion. Flat is better than down, but 2018 was also the year the once-mighty U.S.S. 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. (Photo by AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images). Drivers. https://t.co/Zf4L7g5im4 Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) July 10, 2018 But the sports most dedicated fans were (and are) still in the Southeast, and Southerners are loyal to the core to their heritage. Compared to the fourth Xfinity race of last season, from Phoenix, ratings fell a tick (from 0.8) but viewership increased (from 1.19M). Im not sure why people would think this, although Id actually had some heated debates with Tom Bowles at the Frontstretch about it. Unless you are a die-hard fan of the sport, people would rather watch condensed snippets of the race or read the highlights instead of actually spending time watching or subscribing to NASCAR real-time races. 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. If you want to attribute the decline of NASCAR to arrogant leadership, look no further than that single act. The Monday portion of that race averaged a 4.2 and 7.03 million, compared to a 6.2 and 10.94 million for the first 20 laps on Sunday before weather rolled in. Well, it might be as easy as the product fans are seeing on their televisions over the course of a race. Though fewer fans were able to attend in person, with the improvements in internet bandwidth, and the rise of more and more cable channels, some were finding other ways to digest their favorite sports. A leading business development, project manager in the auction and liquidation industry, and consultant for various local and national government offices in the Philippines. 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. News. NASCAR was at Texas Motor Speedway this weekend and if I was NASCAR, I would be embarrassed. The half-mile dirt track was a success on many levels. Photo credit: royal_broil on Best Running / CC BY-SA 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. TV ratings are no longer the end all be all for NASCAR. Gordon scored the most points overall of any driver in 2004, 2007, and 2014. It is understandable that throughout its existence, rule changes have been implemented at NASCAR, and the reasons for such have varied from safety, technological, or as organization initiatives to provide more challenges or add excitement to the races. NASCAR Home. Viewership for the 2019 Phoenix race was 22% lower than in 2018. Photo credit: Ford Racing on VisualHunt / CC BY NASCARs viewership continues to fall after the ratings for last weekends race at Auto Club Speedway were released on Tuesday morning. who has many relatives from the South, was merely offering his opinion. 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. Last years Xfinity race at the track aired on FS2 and had a 0.21 and 341,000. Related:15 Rules Every NASCAR Employee Has To Follow. Its certainly healthy in terms of eyeballs, Hebrst said. Photo credit: Zach Catanzareti Photo on Best Running / CC BY NASCAR still attempts to do the best it can when it comes to getting the word out. 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. 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. 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. 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. LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 14: (L-R) Brian Herbst, NASCAR managing director, broadcasting, Scott Warfield, NASCAR managing director, social and digital content, Brad Keselowski, driver of the #2 Team Penske Ford Fusion, Jill Gregory, NASCAR senior vice president and chief marketing officer and Laura Froelich, Twitter global head of sports partnerships, pose for a photo after NASCAR announces plans to live-stream in-car cameras on Twitter for the 2018 season on March 14, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. NASCAR needs side-by-side commercials during green-flag racing and then full-screen commercials during yellow flags. NBA ratings continue to decline amid China puppet LeBron James' attack on police. 1) Just like all the other major racing series in the world, NASCAR has become a money deal. NASCAR star Bubba Wallace reacted to a chart on Twitter that showed last weekend's NASCAR race at Foxwoods Resort Casino as the top-watched sporting event of the weekend. Certain segments of fans, and media, began to cry that sky was falling. Looking back over the 2021 season to date in NASCARs top tier Cup series 12 of the 32 races had ratings that were higher over last year and had more viewers; that included a six race stretch leading up to Talladega that saw a consecutive increase in viewership each week. That doesnt mean they dont have talent, or arent brave. On the re-debut of the XFL, the league's TV ratings down in a pretty big way, according to Sports Media Watch. NASCAR polled fans about the idea on their website following the 2003 season, and fans overwhelmingly rejected it. Photo credit: PDA.PHOTO on Best Running / CC BY-ND After years of seeing its once enormous audience dwindle to almost nothing, NASCAR is finally righting the ship. And based on what we see today, NASCAR seems to be on an upward trajectory and shows no signs of slowing down. And the same is true for NASCAR. With the current playoff point structure, drivers are also somewhat rewarded for strong season-long performances as wellwhile the Chase completely disregarded excellence during the season. NASCAR was plenty defiant resisting this idea at their peakbut these days, theyre not in a position to ignore displeased fans. 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. As Ive said, the sport is finally addressing its venue problem. The sport has grown from. In terms of tier one sports properties, he said. Brian Herbst is the senior vice president for media and productions for NASCAR. The rise of social media as a tool, pastime, or source of information and entertainment has certainly affected most sports, NASCAR included. 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