These figures paint a troubling trend that NASCAR is on a long term downtrend it has yet to recover from. That's the first time in a decade that that has happened, Hebrst said. Not all, of course, but most. Racing Ratings By Phillip Bupp on 06/23/2022. . Related: NASCAR ratings on big rise compared to recent years in 2022. Or at least to give the appearance of it. In fact, the current car lends itself to some pretty good racing. NASCAR has managed to hang on to lucrative TV contracts despite its ratings decline. If any single event hastened the decline of NASCAR, it was Indy 2008. I cant imagine any fan of Dale Earnhardt Sr.and there were a lot of themnot wanting to see the sport take every measure it could to keep drivers safe after Daytona 2001. Related:15 Rules Every NASCAR Employee Has To Follow. 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). In other NASCAR action, the Xfinity Series race at Las Vegas turned in a 0.7 and 1.28 million. Many former fans consider this state of affairs to be ridiculous. NASCAR averaged 4.570 million viewers for Sunday afternoon's event at Auto Club Speedway. That exposure now comes not just from TV, but through streaming platforms, attendance, and even social media. NASCAR has struggled with the 18-49 demographic and while IndyCar doesnt have as many overall viewers, the percentage of those viewers being in that demographic is higher. You can contact him here or on the Sports Media Watch Twitter page. At the start of the 21st Century NASCAR TV ratings, meant everything. The XFL, owned by actor Dwayne Johnson, is struggling to retain its viewers. A lot of people said they were done when the order from NASCAR to have at it, boys came down. Making matters worse, within four years, the driver with the second largest fan base finished with the most points in a season twice, only to lose the title to a points reset. Along with that came an all-important metric: the Nielsen ratings. 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. Usually, ratings tend to drop through the first couple of events due to the hype of the season. Or NASCAR could pretty much keep things the way they are and hope to hold on to whoever watches through 2024, when the massive TV contract expires. That NASCAR was doomed, soon to become nothing more than a memory. He is likely to build a fan base fast. U.S. NBA Social Justice Poll. The cars already were mostly spec at that point, and the sport was doing just finebooming even. Fans might be tired of the novelty of the playoffs. They hate all of the commercials. The presidential and general elections, which need to be held no later than June 18, come at a tough time for Erdogan who has seen a decline in his ratings because of skyrocketing inflation. 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. Digital and social consumption is as important now, as it's ever been; probably more important now than it's ever been, he said. Photo credit: Darryl W. Moran Photography on Visual Hunt / CC BY-ND 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. 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. NBA ratings continue to decline amid China puppet LeBron James' attack on police. 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. The television ratings for sports in 2020 reflect the poll results and the frustration many feel toward the constant sloganeering and political pandering. (Photo by ISC Images & Archives via Getty Images), ISC Archives/CQ-Roll Call Group via Getty Images, landscape. With all the different metrics used to measure a sport these days however, it can be complicated. This marks a 25% lift versus NASCAR's analogous share in 2018, and is the strongest showing since Fox got off to a 10.5 share start in 2016. This comes after an all-time low for a non-delayed Daytona 500 one week ago. For the first time this season, NASCAR was not the top sporting event of the weekend, trailing the NBA All-Star Game on TNT and TBS (3.1, 5.94M). If it did, I would really appreciate your support. After 26 of 36 races, the top ten drivers would have their points reset, putting them all on a level playing field again for the last ten races. For NASCAR it meant fewer butts in seats at tracks, and fewer sponsors willing to part with what little revenue they were earning. Translation: the drivers are paying for the pleasure of racing. Furthermore, their retirements are probably not the sole reason for NASCAR's viewership issues either. I expect that will be a boon to NASCARs future. Overall, NASCAR brought in 114.231 million average viewers throughout the entire 2022 season which marks its. 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. WWE Insider Says Yes, Fans might be tired of the novelty of the playoffs., selling a sport that is losing popularity and has three months of overlap with football. FOX has been touting the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season to date as the "best ever." Sorry, I'd give that honor to 1992 and wouldn't even provide 2021 to date a spot on my top-10 list of modern-era. Certain segments of fans, and media, began to cry that sky was falling. The last race at. The fan backlash was loud and intense. If you want to attribute the decline of NASCAR to arrogant leadership, look no further than that single act. People love a winner, they love to hate a winner, and they love to see a dynasty get taken down. NASCAR blew off fan demand for picture-in-picture commercial breakssomething theyve since embracedwhile Fox Sportss indifference to fans went completely unchecked. Photo credit: sarahstierch on Visualhunt.com / CC BY Formula 1 does not have a single commercial during their races on ESPN. 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. The crowd sold out it's 30% capacity soon after the event was . Las Vegas, by contrast, moved back from the coveted week after the Daytona 500. But in a relatively short time, NASCAR corrected the car and the multiple issues with its design, and while the cars dont differ by manufacturer like they once did, at least were not seeing disastrously awful races just because of the cars construction. You couldnt entirely blame NASCAR for no longer holding events in places like North Wilkesboro or Rockingham or even Darlington, which lost a race on the schedule for several years. The NASCAR Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway averaged 4.315 million average viewers on FOX last weekend. A leading business development, project manager in the auction and liquidation industry, and consultant for various local and national government offices in the Philippines. Which might explain why, despite the denials, the people who are descendants of Big Bill France, the man who started it all, are quietly shopping the company around and hoping to get out while the goings good. They do not want to watch commercials over and over again. I dont need to tell anyone who was a fan in the 2000s this, but NASCARs broadcasts at the time may have been the worst in the history of sports. Photo credit: brandonzeman on Visual Hunt / CC BY-SA Now, they buy their way in. Professional sports adapted as well, understanding, and learning, how to measure viewership and show that value to their stakeholders. American Hartford Gold. 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. Tiger Woods was great for golf. 1) Just like all the other major racing series in the world, NASCAR has become a money deal. Sundays race at Auto Club is also down from the second race of the 2021 season. By: GP Racing. But that in itself wasnt necessarily the crime. Mark Martin has the best take on the decline in NASCAR attendance, ratings Comment Leave it to one of the coolest customers ever to sit behind the wheel in NASCAR to come up with an. 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Much like Kyle Petty, he ultimately became more known for his good-guy personality and his lineage than for his achievements on the racetrack. I wonder why Truck Series and Xfinity viewership(even from 2019) is up but Cup Series viewership is down. Bookmark this page for NASCAR ratings as another year of racing is officially underway! 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. Nothing against Jimmie Johnson for winning titles with the rules as written, but he only managed that feat twice. Still with me? 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 . Young fans want to watch the action. In the past NASCAR has tried to educate fans who might look at ratings and think the sport is in trouble and help them understand that things arent as bad as they seem. In that race, caution flags were flown almost every ten laps for tire wear, as Jimmie Johnson limped to a victory. It was not a great race. In the late '90s and the early 2000s, NASCAR saw an unprecedented growth in popularity and TV ratings. But there is a big difference between changing your own spark plugs and battling your way to the front at your local speedway in hopes of catching the attention of a NASCAR car owner and calling up that same NASCAR car owner on the phone and saying two words to him: How much?. Covered race cars from the NASCAR Xfinity Series sit parked on pit road during a rain delay before the start . What other big American sport has ongoing action behind a commercial? View 2021 Bristol tv ratings below. Related: NASCAR power rankings during the 2023 season. The #48 team should have been a gold mine. There are still 11 races on intermediate tracks, but its finally moving in the right direction. It could be argued that Junior was the sports last link to its tobacco-chewing, Southern past; once Jeff Gordon tore up the sport, drivers started to appear from every corner of the country. A driver dominates a race until the last lap and then gets crashed on purpose by the guy who goes on to win. 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. In NASCARs pre-1990s heyday, when it was still very much a regional sport, manufacturer identity was a big thing. Photo credit: Zach Catanzareti Photo on Visualhunt.com / CC BY-SA All that said, the unveiling of the Car of Tomorrow in 2007 certainly didnt help. 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 scraped bottom. NASCAR ratings have been on the decline over the last decade as they have taken a significant drop. So that's a positive viewership increase of 2%. And those ways that didnt always involve traditional broadcast TV. Related: NASCARs Daytona 500 ratings indicate a worrisome trend. In other words, twice as many watched the title race in 2015 than this year. It would have been nice to have heard more during the championship race from Earnhardt. 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. 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 . (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. 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. 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. And the same is true for NASCAR. They shut down the polls and went ahead with it anyway. NASCAR Fans Rebel Against Confederate Flag Ban. NASCAR's TV ratings began to fall; the once all-mighty numbers began to show not an increase, but a decline. It was a radical change to a sport that didnt need radical changes. Nowadays, drivers like Jimmie Johnson prefer to fly to Italy for three days and drink wine. which is a 50 percent decline . It could be just Mike Joy and Jeff Gordon up in the booth, which would sound like a library compared to NBC.). Photo credit: royal_broil on Best Running / CC BY-SA (It wasnt a tough call to make, if you actually looked at her results instead of her figure.). We all know what Im talking about. The move of the Labor Day race to California was part of an ongoing trend. 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. NASCAR polled fans about the idea on their website following the 2003 season, and fans overwhelmingly rejected it. Its possible that the most popular driver not performing well hurt the sport, given the sports fan demographic. NASCAR Home. A Former Reporters Thoughts, fly into a catch fence and injure spectators, I really got the point across with this one, that profoundly irritating cartoon gopher, baseball exploded in popularity after the opening of Camden Yards, that didnt suffer a significant ratings drop, Professional Cornhole Beyond The Parking Lot, Staying Green ex-Patriots Champion Jarvis Green, Terry Kath 1946-1978: The Heart of Chicago. Im not buying the its too safe bit as a cause for the decline of NASCAR. Certain segments of fans, and media, began to cry that sky was falling. UPDATE: The Daytona 500 posted only a modest decline in ratings and viewership, but that was still enough to make it one of the least-watched ever. 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