In NASCAR, the equivalent of a ref would be the flagmen, who not only flag the start and end of the race but flag drivers with caution warnings for safety and rules enforcement. AEW Dynamite Results: Winners And Grades On March 1, 2023, Celta Vigo Star Gabri Veiga Is Alerting Wealthy Teams In The Premier League, Trade Madness: Knicks, Nets, Rangers, Islanders And Devils Spent February Making Notable Moves, Los Angeles Chargers Have Shown Keenan Allen The Money But They Wont Show Him The Door, Corner Threes Are Secret Sauce For Milwaukee Bucks Offensive Success, OKC Thunder: Upcoming Six-Game Slate Will Dictate Direction Of Season, Is Vince McMahon Secretly Booking WrestleMania 39? Brandon Kochkodin. Standings. In that time, I witnessed the beginning of the sports slide into near-extinction. Sunday's 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). So what caused the decline of NASCAR to the point where the sport is desperately trying to remain relevant? And maybe this time, they will have learned from their mistakes. Well, it might be as easy as the product fans are seeing on their televisions over the course of a race. Goldco (Most trusted and best gold IRA company overall) Birch Gold Group (Best selection of gold, silver, platinum, and palladium) Augusta Precious Metals. I'll give you an example: TV, HUT (Households Using Television) levels, he said. It is not unusual to see speedway grandstands half empty and only several million will tune in from home. Related: NASCARs Daytona 500 ratings indicate a worrisome trend. 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. There's a catch, though. 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. These figures paint a troubling trend that NASCAR is on a long term downtrend it has yet to recover from. Photo credit: Zach Catanzareti Photo on Visualhunt.com / CC BY-SA Not just limited to NASCAR but to many other sports as well is the gradual retirement of its well-known athletes that were the main draw for people to watch the events. Last years season-opener at Barber only averaged 914 thousand viewers which is almost an extra 500 thousand. Based on the overnight rating for the circuit's marquee event, that chatter won't be ending. As it happens, the first four official NASCAR races of 2022 are averaging a 9.73 share, which means nearly 10% of all homes that had TVs in use at the time of the broadcasts were tuned in to Fox. NASCAR possessed one of the greatest dynasties in the history of sports during Jimmies reign. Dover is a 1-mile track, and 11 laps does not take long. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images), 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. 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. 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. 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. Auto Club Speedway's racetrack seems to be adored by every . 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). On the re-debut of the XFL, the league's TV ratings down in a pretty big way, according to Sports Media Watch. Yes, NASCAR actually believed an artificial points reset after two thirds of the season was the move that was going to catapult them past the NFL. 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. Most die-hard fans of NASCAR are those that have followed it the longest. In todays world TV ratings arent the big deal they once were nor the only thing that matters. People rooted for car brands as well as drivers, and car companies believed in the whole win on Sunday, sell on Monday mantra. 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. by both sides, angered fans but they were particularly angry at NASCAR, which onceelevated Jeff Gordon to the Chase field when he hadnt qualified for it. We all know what Im talking about. For any fan that needs racing to be dangerous, there are still four restrictor plate races on the schedule. No longer do young NASCAR racers start at their local tracks and work their way up. 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. Internal surveys show that 75 percent of Nascar fans overall approve of next year's schedule -- one that includes a dirt race at Bristol -- and 90 percent of the 18 to 34 demographic approves. All Rights Reserved. It didnt help that a hugely popular driver underperformed, but that shouldnt have caused this much of a free fall. The 2016 race from Homestead had 6.1 million viewers, the 2015 race had 7.643 million. 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. Is PNC Park The Best Ballpark in Baseball? Not only in the business world, but in all sports as well. 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. Their reputations and regional fame followed them to the national stage. People do not want to watch numerous full-screen commercials while green-flag racing is taking place. NASCARs NextGen car shows promise and one huge issue, NASCARs Daytona 500 ratings indicate a worrisome trend. A leading business development, project manager in the auction and liquidation industry, and consultant for various local and national government offices in the Philippines. Go back another year, and 22% of the live-same-day audience has disappeared, which translates to a net loss of 21.3 million TV viewers per night. 1) Just like all the other major racing series in the world, NASCAR has become a money deal. That is a decrease of nearly 50%, and in some races this kind of decline could be seen in the stands too. Young fans want to watch the action. Just ten years later, there were 13 such eventsnearly half the schedule. On Monday, the Bristol Motor Speedway dirt track hosted the NASCAR Cup Series. This was a problem that actually needed to be addressed and wasnt. Its possible that the most popular driver not performing well hurt the sport, given the sports fan demographic. Labor Day is in Darlington where it belongs, and Darlington is hosting two events again. It was the insistent implementation of it over loud objections of fans. It may seem good on the surface, but there's more beneath that makes this concerning. 500 MOMENTUM:Daytona 500 TV ratings: NASCAR opener ends two-year viewership decline. It would have been nice to have heard more during the championship race from Earnhardt. It was the first NCS race on the dirt in 50 years. Fortunately, NASCAR is finally addressing this. So if you can say that it's you and the NFL in terms of stability of your audience. NASCAR vehicles evolved over the decades to become safer for the drivers and spectators, the result of which is that cars today are uniform, standardized vehicles with their bodies basically just shells on top of a chassis. [Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 3.9]. 2) When NASCAR established the franchise system in 2016, the league essentially became a closed shop. NASCAR Home. 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. No longer tied to a box atop the TV or a diary that viewers filled out, the company started to figure out how to report who was watching on TV, on cable, and on streaming platforms. The television ratings for sports in 2020 reflect the poll results and the frustration many feel toward the constant sloganeering and political pandering. When added to metrics from an agency known as Joyce Julius & Associates, which specializes in measurement and analysis of media promotions that showed just how much TV exposure a sponsor was getting, NASCAR teams were able to justify the high cost of the sponsorships they were charging. 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. The broadcasts really were over-saturated with ads enough to drive fans away. At the start of the 21st Century NASCAR TV ratings, meant everything. Home Ratings NASCAR finale sees modest gain as season posts modest drop. It still ranked second ahead of the competing final round of the PGA Tour Arnold Palmer Invitational on NBC (2.4, 3.86M). NASCAR TV Ratings Below are the ratings for the NASCAR Cup Series: Date | Track | Network | Viewers | Ratings June 20, 2021 Nashville Superspeedway NBCSN Viewers: 2,600,000 Ratings: 1.46 June 13, 2021 Texas Motor Speedway FS1 Viewers: 2,735,000 Ratings: 1.64 June 6, 2021 Sonoma Raceway FS1 Viewers: 2,494,000 Ratings: 1.49 May 30, 2021 When you use this link to shop on Amazon, youll help subsidize this great websiteat no extra charge to you. Certain segments of fans, and media, began to cry that sky was falling. I covered NASCAR for six seasons for two excellent racing websites, Thats Racin (the Charlotte Observers racing site) and the Frontstretch. The crowd sold out it's 30% capacity soon after the event was . The full Xfinity Series season averaged 1.04 million viewers, up 9% from last year (952K) and 2019 (954K). NASCAR did (and still does) market the possibility of spectacular wrecks. Just because no one has been killed at the Cup level since Earnhardts death doesnt make it less so. Digital and social consumption is as important now, as it's ever been; probably more important now than it's ever been, he said. Bookmark this page for NASCAR ratings as another year of racing is officially underway! (It did.) Not all, of course, but most. NASCAR's viewership for the first half of the 2022 season is the highest since 2017. NASCAR finale sees modest gain as season posts modest drop, Ratings: NASCAR, college hoops, soccer, NHL, XFL sees big drop in Week 2, but on par with last years USFL, LeBron injury ill-timed as Lakers continue to draw, Small sampling for LIV; PGA Tour wins head-to-head in rout. Ratings were like Bible verses, an almighty Gospel preached to stakeholders on how much of NASCAR was reaching the masses. Where . NASCAR averaged 4.570 million viewers for Sunday afternoon's event at Auto Club Speedway. 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,. After sweeping claims of a toxic work environment throughout 2020, the star and her show have been scrambling to make things right. In 2014 the average viewership for Cup Series races was 5.3 million. This article looks at several of the reasons why NASCAR is losing fans. There are not many. https://t.co/Zf4L7g5im4 Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) July 10, 2018 Ill submit that this is a reason a few fans I know stopped watching the sport. That would have a big effect on viewership overall. This year's NCAA tournament ratings were down 11%. I wasnt the only one who noticedas this blog posts comments demonstrated. 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. No longer will teams win titles by dominating speedways; driver skill will be more of a factor, as it should be. [Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 11.9, network PR]. which is a 50 percent decline . 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. Then they sharply declined in Week Two. Ill start with a few things that I dont believe caused the decline of NASCAR, then Ill share what I think really did. Keep in mind that excludes the Monday rainout at Talladega. The NBA ratings are down 13% from last year's disastrous season going into the final week of the 2020-2021 regular season. 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. There's a lot of people that are looking around and understand that the economics of our sport probably are in a better place now than they've been in a long time.. The broadcasts have also improved. 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. Nepotism isnt dead in NASCAR. 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NFLX 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. 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. Photo credit: Zach Catanzareti Photo on Best Running / CC BY Along with that came an all-important metric: the Nielsen ratings. The 2019 season was run as regularly scheduled as well. Last years Xfinity race at the track aired on FS2 and had a 0.21 and 341,000. Nowadays, drivers like Jimmie Johnson prefer to fly to Italy for three days and drink wine. Now, NASCAR might say, Well, 3.759 million for a race in November, even if it is half as much as four years ago, is more than 0.000 viewers for no race. And ratings are slightly better overall when you include the Fox half, which is better than another plunge, as in 2018. It was boxy, ugly, and top heavyand its shape was part of the reason for the Indianapolis debacle of 2008. By Jack Davis June 22, 2020 at 8:10am. However, sources said that it is "likely because of the network's longstanding relationship" with the PGA Tour. By: GP Racing. The Nielsen ratings for NASCAR's most-watched races, such as The Daytona 500, have plummeted in recent years. The IndyCar race at St. Petersberg averaged 1.405 million viewers on Sunday. . I think that the momentum is good. NASCAR teams get creative with sponsors following dip in ratings, attendance Rick Hendrick is seeking a new sponsor for Jimmie Johnson amid the departure of Lowe's. Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images Or Jeff Gordon, again, living in a Manhattan penthouse with his second wife, a model, instead of in North Carolina, where he lived beside a lake with his first wife, a deeply religious woman who was Born Again. Compared to the last time the Brickyard 400 was run in July (the 2017 race), Sunday's ratings were down 21 percent and viewership was off 23 percent. But for whatever reason, Junior not only didnt measure up to his fathers formidable reputation, he rarely even established himself as a contender. NASCAR sits on an upward trajectory for the first time in a while. Herbst adds that small swings in the numbers show the steadiness of viewership week to week, and thats a very good thing. When you think of the venues that have showcased the most memorable events in the sports history, Daytona, Darlington, and Bristol often come to mind. NASCAR blew off fan demand for picture-in-picture commercial breakssomething theyve since embracedwhile Fox Sportss indifference to fans went completely unchecked. 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. You may opt-out by. 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. NASCAR is clearly falling behind other motorsports in a new era of television. 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. Followed them to the national stage I covered NASCAR for six seasons for two excellent racing websites, Thats (! When you include the Fox half, which is almost an extra 500 thousand races the. 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