2003 NASCAR TV Ratings - Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site

TV RATINGS 2003

Homestead TV Ratings….down AND: Nielsen Media Research says NBC’s broadcast of last Sunday’s Ford 400 Winston Cup finale drew a final rating of 4.5 and a 10 share, according to today’s Sports Business Daily. The figure rating represents a drop of more than 13 percent from last year’s 5.2 but was still well ahead of the 3.8 the race drew in 2001. NASCAR says 7,326,000 viewers tuned in. The Daily also reports that NBC’s broadcast of last Saturday’s Ford 300 Busch Series race drew a 2.0/6, an 11 percent gain over the 1.8 in 2002. NASCAR also said last Friday’s Ford 200 Craftsman Truck Series race on Speed Channel drew an average of 464,000 viewers, a 33 percent increase over the 350,000 in 2002.(Winston Cup Scene Free Daily Newsletter)(11-21-2003)
UPDATE: The Ford 400, the NASCAR Winston Cup race held last Sunday and televised by NBC, had an average of 4,870,000 households and 7,326,000 viewers tune in, even though new NASCAR Winston Cup champion Matt Kenseth had clinched the title the previous week at Rockingham.
The Ford 300, the NASCAR Busch Series race held last Saturday and televised by NBC, had an average of 2,153,000 households tune in, a 10% increase over the 1,950,000 that tuned in last year. An average of 2,888,000 viewers tuned into the Ford 300, an 8% increase over the 2,666,000 watching last year.
The Ford 200, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race held last Friday and televised by SPEED Channel, had an average of 340,000 households tune in, a 12% increase over the 303,000 that tuned in last year. An average of 464,000 viewers tuned into the Ford 200, a 33% increase over the 350,000 from 2002.(NASCAR PR)(11-24-2003)
Rockingham TV Ratings: With Matt Kenseth’s countdown to the NASCAR Winston Cup Series title as a pivotal draw, the Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400, the NASCAR Winston Cup race held last Sunday at North Carolina Speedway and televised by TNT, enjoyed a significant viewership jump from 2002. A total of 3,707,000 households tuned in, a 15% increase over last season’s 3,229,000 households. An average of 5,422,000 viewers tuned in to the Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400, a 13% increase over 4,805,000 viewers in 2002. For the Target House 200, the NASCAR Busch Series event held last Saturday at Rockingham and televised by TNT, a total of 769,000 households and 1,004,000 viewers tuned in.(NASCAR PR)(11-15-2003)
Final Phoenix TV Ratings: Nielsen Media Research says NBC’s broadcast of last Sunday’s Checker Auto Parts 500 Winston Cup race at Phoenix International Raceway drew a 4.7 rating and a 10 share, according to today’s Sports Business Daily. The figures represent a 7% increase over the 4.4/10 the event drew last year and a 17.5% over the 4.0/9 in 2001.(Winston Cup Scene Daily Newsletter)(11-7-2003)
Early TV Ratings for Phoenix UPDATE: Nielsen Media Research says NBC’s broadcast of Sunday’s Checker Auto Parts 500K at Phoenix International Raceway drew a 4.2 overnight rating and an 8 share, according to today’s Sports Business Daily. Last year’s race, which took place one week later in the season, drew final figures of 4.4/10.(Winston Cup Scene Daily Newsletter), never did see any ratings for the Atlanta race.(11-3-2003)
UPDATE: Preliminary national rating projections from Nielsen Media indicates that the NASCAR Winston Cup Series Checker Auto Parts 500 earned a fast national rating of 4.7 on NBC, up +7% over the 4.4 final national rating for last year’s event on NBC. More than 5,141,000 households tuned in this year for the even won by Dale Earnhardt Jr. The 5,141,000 is an increase of 11% over the 4,651,000 households that tuned in to the 2002 event won by Matt Kenseth. An average of 7,684,000 viewers tuned in this year, up +15% over the 6,684,000 viewers who tuned in last year. The final official numbers are expected to be announced on Thursday.(PIR PR)11-4-2003)
Martinsville TV Ratings: Sunday’s Subway 500 from Martinsville Speedway on NBC turned in final numbers of a 4.0 rating and 10 share, according to Nielsen Media Research. The race averaged 4,371,000 households and 6,394,000 viewers. This is a 9 percent decline from last year’s 4.4 final rating.(MotorsportsTV.com)(10-24-2003)
Early Martinsville TV Ratings: NBC’s broadcast of Sunday’s Subway 500 from Martinsville Speedway drew an overnight 3.5 rating and 8 share from Nielsen Media Research, today’s Sports Business Daily reports. The race trailed two World Series baseball games, as well as NFL and college football contests. Last year, the Martinsville race earned final figures of 4.4/11.(Winston Cup Scene Daily Newsletter)(10-20-2003)
Final Charlotte TV Ratings – down: The move to prime time didn’t yield stronger results for Winston Cup racing from Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Saturday night’s final numbers yielded a 4.3 rating and 8 share, according to Nielsen Media Research. This is down 14% from last year’s 5.0 rating. NASCAR faced tough competition from the Cubs-Marlins game, which had a 7.3 rating and 14 share. The race finished ranked #69 in the ratings last week, drawing 7.5 million viewers.(in part from USA Today print edition)(MotorsportsTV)(10-15-2003)
Early TV Ratings for Charlotte: NBC’s broadcast of Saturday’s first prime-time running of the UAW/GM Quality 500 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway drew a 4.5 overnight rating and 8 share from Nielsen Media Research, according to MotorsportsTV.com. The Web story says the race trailed Fox’s 6..7/12 for the fourth game of the National League Championship Series between the Cubs and the Marlins and CBS’s 5.8/11 prime-time lineup. Last year’s daytime broadcast, which was also carried on NBC, earned final figures of 5.0/10.(Winston Cup Scene Daily Newsletter)(10-13-2003)
Kansas Winston Cup TV Ratings Down 7%: Sunday’s Banquet 400 from Kansas Speedway on NBC garnered final numbers of a 4.1 rating and 9 share, according to Nielsen Media Research. These numbers represent 4,407,000 homes. The results show a decline of 7% from last year’s final rating of 4.4. One interesting note is that the small market bump for this year was only 0.1 (one of the smallest of the last three years), compared to 0.5 last year. This year’s overnight rating, which covers over 65% of the country, was a 4.0. Last year’s overnight was 3.9..(MotorsportsTV.com)(10-10-2003)
Early Kansas TV Ratings: Nielsen Media Research says NBC’s broadcast of Sunday’s Banquet 400 at Kansas Speedway drew a 4.0 overnight rating and an 8 share, according to today’s Sports Business Daily. The race trailed a variety of NFL games on Fox and CBS, NCAA football on ABC and two Major League Baseball playoff games on Fox, according to the figures. Last year’s Kansas City race, which was also broadcast on NBC, drew final figures of 4.4/11. Saturday’s Mr. Goodcents 300 Busch Series race on NBC drew an overnight 1.8, well ahead of last year’s 1.5 final rating.(Winston Cup Scene Daily Newsletter)(10-6-2003)
Final Talladega Ratings: NBC Sports’ broadcast of last Sunday’s EA Sports 500 from Talladega Superspeedway set a record as the highest national rating ever for any auto race in competition with professional football, a 5.5 national rating/ 12 share, according to Nielsen Media Research.(NASCAR PR)(10-3-2003)
Talladega TV Ratings: NBC’s broadcast of the EA Sports 500 from Talladega Superspeedway recorded the highest overnight rating ever for an auto race against pro football competition, NASCAR said today. The race earned a 4.7 overnight rating 9 share from Nielsen Media Resarch, a 9 percent increase over last year’s 4.3/9 overnight rating. NASCAR said the previous best overnight rating during football season was a 4.5 on two occasions. Last year’s Talladega race, which was held a week later, drew final figures of 4.8/12.(Winston Cup Scene Daily Newsletter)(9-29-2003)
Dover TV Ratings: Nielsen Media Research says NBC’s broadcast of last Sunday’s MBNA America 400 from Dover International Speedway drew a 4.2 rating and a 10 share, MotorsportsTV.com says. The story says the race drew 4,591,000 households, which is 27 percent more than last year’s household reach when the race was on TNT. Because direct comparisons can’t be drawn between cable and broadcast viewership, the story says the Dover race compares favorably with NBC’s broadcasts last year from New Hampshire and Kansas City, which earned 3.7 and 4.4 ratings, respectively. The Dover race outdrew all college football broadcasts and trailed only four NFL games, the Web service says.(Winston Cup Scene Daily Newsletter/MotorsportsTV.com)(9-26-2003)
New Hampshire Winston Cup Race Draws 3.2 Million Households: Sunday’s Sylvania 300 from Loudon, New Hampshire on TNT drew 3,214,000 TV households, according to Nielsen Media Research. It was the #6 ranked program on basic cable for the week, finishing behind the Bears-Vikings NFL contest, NFL Prime Time, a Lifetime Movie, a Spongebob episode, and WWE. The national rating (not cable rating) was 3.0. Last year’s race was on NBC and drew 3,965,000 households, but there is no accurate year-to-year comparison because that was on an over-the-air network. However, last year’s Dover race was on TNT, and it pulled in 3,497,000 households, meaning that a comparable weekend from last year drew slightly higher ratings.(MotorsportsTV.com)(9-18-2003)
Richmond TV Ratings: Nielsen Media Research says TNT’s airing of last Saturday’s Chevy Rock & Roll 400 from Richmond was viewed in 3.3 million households, MotorsportsTV.com reports. The story says the number represents a drop of 8 percent from last year’s 3.611 million households. This year’s race aired opposite several high-profile college football games on broadcast and cable stations.(Winston Cup Scene Daily Newsletter)(9-11-2003)
More Darlington TV Stuff: The Mountain Dew Southern 500, the NASCAR Winston Cup Series race held last Sunday at Darlington Raceway and televised by NBC, was the most-watched sporting event of Labor Day weekend, with an average of 7,965,000 viewers. The race’s household viewership of 5,241,000 easily outdistanced the weekend’s second-most watched sporting event “ college football on ABC on Saturday night “ by 40%. Other TV highlights from Labor Day weekend:
…… The Mountain Dew Southern 500’s viewership was 20% higher than 2002, when the race was broadcast by TNT.
…… The NASCAR Busch Series’ Winn-Dixie 200 Presented by PepsiCo, held last Saturday at Darlington and also televised by NBC, had an average of 2,292,000 viewers, a 40% increase from 2002’s TNT telecast. The household viewership of 1,803,000 was a 52% increase from 2002.
…… The Winn-Dixie 200 Presented by PepsiCo was the most-watched NASCAR Busch Series race in the history of Darlington Raceway.(Figures compiled by Nielsen Media Research.)(NASCAR PR)(9-6-2003)
Early Darlington TV Ratings: NBC’s broadcast of Sunday’s Mountain Dew Southern 500 drew a 4.4 overnight rating from Nielsen Media Research to top all televised sports this weekend, USA Today reports.(Winston Cup Scene Daily Newsletter – free)(9-2-2003)
Some Bristol TV/Cable Stuff UPDATE – conflicting info?: The Sharpie 500, televised this past Saturday night from Bristol by TNT, was the most-watched program of the week on cable, with 5,958,000 viewers.(Figures from TNT and Nielsen Media Research.)(NASCAR PR)
RATINGS DOWN: But the race’s 4.3 Nielsen Media Research rating was down 10 percent from last year’s 4.8, MotorsportsTV.com reports.(8-27-2003)
AND MORE: The Sharpie 500 from Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday night took the #1 spot on all of basic cable last week, with 3,730,000 households tuning in, according to Nielsen Media Research. It finished ahead of two installments of the WWE, Monk, and Fairly Odd Parents, which rounded out the top five. The #1 show on all of cable was Sex and the City [HBO], which averaged 4,914,000 households.(MotorsportsTV.com)(8-28-2003)
TV Ratings for MIS: Daily Variety says TNT drew 6.23 million viewers for Sunday’s airing of the GFS Marketplace 400 from Michigan International Speedway, which made it the highest-rated sports event of the week, today’s Sports Business Daily says. The number made the race the second-most-watched show of the week on cable, according to the story in the Daily, which does not contain any rating numbers.(Winston Cup Scene Daily Newsletter) AND The GFS Marketplace 400 from Michigan International Speedway garnered a 4.9 rating on TNT on Sunday, down 7 percent from last year’s 5.3 rating.(MotorsportsTV)(8-21-2003)
Final Watkins Glen TV Ratings: The Sirius At The Glen on NBC finished with final numbers of a solid 5.6 rating and 15 share, according to Nielsen Media Research. This is a 5 percent increase over last year’s race, and the numbers represent 5,926,000 households. Sunday’s race was the second highest rated sports broadcast for the week, finishing behind the NFL Hall of Fame Game, which garnered a 7.4 rating and 13 share in prime time on ABC.(MotorsportsTV.com)(8-14-2003)
TV Ratings for The Glen: NBC’s broadcast of Sunday’s Sirius at The Glen proved to be the top sports event on television this weekend, according to Nielsen Media Research’s overnight numbers, today’s Sports Business Daily reports. The race drew a 5.0 rating and a 12 share. The second biggest draw was NBC’s pre-race show with a 2.9/7, ahead of CBS’s 2.8/6 for its final round coverage of the PGA Tour event. Last year’s race drew a final 5.3/14, which was up 12.8 percent over the 4.7/13 in 2001.(Winston Cup Scene Daily Newsletter)(8-11-2003)
TV Ratings for Indy UPDATE: In Indianapolis, at last Sunday’s Brickyard 400, approximately 300,000 fans were on hand. As far as the Indy market’s TV race-watchers were concerned, the event (broadcast by NBC) earned an incredible 22.1 rating “ outside the Daytona 500, the highest local market rating for any race this year. Indy led the way for 16 markets that had a rating greater than 8.0, including non-traditional NASCAR markets Dayton (10.5), Milwaukee (8.7), Columbus (8.5) and St. Louis (8.2). (Figures from NBC and Nielsen Media Research.)(NASCAR PR)(8-7-2003)
UPDATE: The Brickyard 400 on NBC finished as the #1 ranked sports broadcast for last week, turning in a 6.0 rating and 15 share, representing 6,415,000 households, according to Nielsen Media Research This is down 5% from last year’s 6.3 final rating. The closest competitor to the race from Indy was the ABC primetime Battle of the Bridges with Tiger Woods, garnering a 4.6 rating and 8 share.(MotorsportsTV)(8-8-2003)
TV Ratings – Pocono: Last Sunday’s Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway earned a 4.6 rating on TNT and was the top program for the month among adults in the 25-54 age groups. The race was also the highest-rated sports event on cable. (Figures compiled by Nielsen Media Research).(NASCAR PR)(7-30-2003)
More on New Hampshire NASCAR TV Ratings: The New Hampshire 300 finished last week as the most watched show on all of basic cable TV, even besting the prime time MLB All-Star Game Home Run Derby on ESPN, Spongebob, and Law & Order. The race drew 4,030,000 households, according to Nielsen Media Research. The Home Run Derby on ESPN, in 2nd place, pulled in 3,755,000 households. In 15th place on cable for the week was the Discover Card Countdown to Green Winston Cup pre-race show, drawing 2,401,000 households. The #1 ranked show on all of cable TV was Sex and the City, drawing 4,413,000 households.(MotorsportsTV)(7-24-2003)
TV Ratings for NHIS: Sunday’s New England 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway had a final rating of 4.7 on TNT. Over 4 million households tuned in, up 3% from last year’s broadcast. The race also produced the largest audience for a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race on cable this season and was the weekend’s most-watched sporting event on cable. (Figures compiled by Nielsen Media Research).(NASCAR PR)(7-22-2003)
More ‘final’ TV Ratings for Chicago: Final Nielsen Media Research numbers show that NBC’s broadcast of last Sunday’s Tropicana 400 Winston Cup race at Chicagoland Speedway drew a 5.4 rating and a 14 share, today’s SportsBusiness Daily reports. The numbers climbed sharply from the 4.9/11 overnight figures thanks to a boost from smaller markets and bettered last year’s final figures of 5.3/14.(Winston Cup Scene Daily Newsletter)(7-18-2003)
Final Chicago TV Ratings: Sunday’s Tropicana 400 at Chicagoland Speedway had a final overnight rating of 4.9 on NBC, making the race the weekend’s most-watched sporting event on television. (Figures compiled by Nielsen Media Research.)(NASCAR PR)(7-16-2003)
Early TV Ratings for Chicago: NBC’s broadcast of the Tropicana 400 Winston Cup race from Chicagoland Speedway easily outdistanced all other sports events in the overnight ratings from Nielsen Media Research, according to the Sports Business Daily. The race drew a 4.9 rating and an 11 share to finish well ahead of the 3.6/10 that Fox drew for its Major League Baseball broadcast. The race will need a bump from smaller television markets, however, if it’s going to match last year’s final figures of 5.3/14 or 2001’s 5.6/14.(Winston Cup Scene Daily Newsletter)(7-14-2003)
Early TV Ratings for Daytona UPDATE: NBC’s broadcast of Saturday night’s Pepsi 400 drew a 5.1 overnight rating and 10 share from Nielsen Media Research to top all sports events on television this weekend, the Sports Business Daily says. The race ratings easily outdrew the 4.0/11 NBC garnered for the Wimbledon women’s final. Final figures in 2002 show that the race drew a 5.2/12 for Fox, while the 2001 race on NBC drew a 6.1/13.(Winston Cup Scene Daily Newsletter) AND NBC’s coverage of NASCAR’s Pepsi 400 led to a comfortable ratings win for the night, as viewers began to return to the television after a boisterous 4th of July. Overall, NBC averaged a 5.4 rating/12 share, well in front of CBS’ 4.1/9. FOX averaged a 2.6/6 and finished third, beating ABC’s 2.5/5. Among adults 18-49, NBC lapped the field with a 3.3 rating. FOX took second at 1.4 and ABC, 1.3, and CBS, 1.1, were close behind. Due to the nature of live events, particularly sporting events that air in primetime in much of the country, but not all, numbers are subject to change. At 8 p.m., NBC’s NASCAR coverage took the hour with a 5.4/12. CBS was second with a repeat of “The Price is Right,” which lost the showcase showdown with a 4.3/10. FOX was third with “Scream 2,” beating ABC’s presentation of “Star Trek: First Contact,” which had a 2.1/5 for the hour. The NASCAR race culminated during the 9 p.m. hour for most of the country, averaging a 5.7/13. “The District” had a 4.3/9 for second place. FOX’s “Scream 2” concluded with a 2.8/6, ahead of ABC’s “Star Trek” movie. NBC was still in first at 10 p.m. with lingering race coverage. “The Agency” took second for CBS with a 3.9/8 and “Dragnet” on ABC trailed with a 3.2/7.(Zap2It)
UPDATE: NBC’s coverage of NASCAR’s Pepsi 400 from Daytona International Speedway was watched by 20 million viewers and earned a 6.0 national rating/13 share, a gain of 15 percent over last year’s 5.2/12 on Fox, according to Nielsen Media Research. This also marks the fifth time in three years that NASCAR on NBC has cracked a six national rating. The rating built throughout the race and peaked with a 7.1/15 from 10-10:24pm/et as rookie Greg Biffle took the Pepsi 400 checkered flag to score his first NASCAR Winston Cup victory. The Pepsi 400’s 15 percent ratings increase starts the 2003 NASCAR on NBC & TNT season in impressive fashion and continues two years of significant ratings growth. NASCAR on NBC & TNT experienced a 59 percent increase from 2000 (2.7/8) to 2002 (4.3/10).(NBC PR)(7-8-2003)
Final Sonoma TV Ratings: Final Nielsen Media Research figures show that Fox’s broadcast of Sunday’s Dodge/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway wound up as last weekend’s highest-rating sports program. MotorsportsTV.com says the race wound up with a 4.8 rating and 11 share, a 7 percent increase over 2002, to easily top the 3.2/8 that ABC drew for its final-round coverage of the Buick Classic golf tournament. The Web service says the race drew 5.084 million households.(Winston Cup Scene Daily Newsletter)(6-27-2003)
More Fox TV Ratings Info: Despite having three races negatively impacted by America diverting its attention to Operation Iraqi Freedom and having a major race (Coca Cola 600) cut in half due to rain, NASCAR on FOX posted a remarkable 5.8 household rating and 14 share, placing it even with last year and 2001 (5.8). Of all the sports directly impacted by the war in Iraq, NASCAR is the only one that didn’t show a ratings decline for the year. While NASCAR’s regular-season average is flat, the NCAA Tournament dropped -23% on CBS, the NHL regular season was down -21% and the NBA regular season was down -10% on ABC, and PGA golf is down -6% to date. This season’s rating is based on a fast national for Sunday’s race provided by Nielsen Media Research.(see more on MotorsportsTV)(6-25-2003)
Sonoma TV Overnight Ratings: NASCAR on FOX from Infineon Raceway finished as the highest-rated sports program for the weekend, checking in with overnights of a 4.8 rating and 10 share, according to Nielsen Media Research. This is up almost 7 percent over last year’s 4.5 overnight rating. Last year’s final rating had no small market bump and finished with a 4.5 rating and 12 share. The closest competitors this week were PGA golf (3.7), Major League Baseball (3.6), and the U.S. Gymnastics Championship (2.3). (This year’s ratings provided by Sports Business Daily)(MotorsportsTV)(6-24-2003)
Final Michigan TV Ratings: Huge Overnight Bump for NASCAR; Michigan Up 13% Over 2002 NASCAR executives, already downright giddy today because of the Nextel announcement, have to be thrilled with the massive overnight bump from the small markets that gave the Winston Cup race from Michigan a 13 percent ratings increase over last year. The Sirius Satellite Radio 400 on FOX turned in final numbers of a 5.4 rating and 16 share, according to Nielsen Media Research, up from last year’s final 4.8 rating. 5.7 million households and 8.4 million people tuned in. The 0.9 small market bump (from 4.5 to 5.4) is one of the largest in recent memory. This “bump” is the increase in the ratings that was caused by factoring in the one-third of viewers from the smaller markets that were not counted in Monday’s overnight rating. Importantly, NASCAR leapfrogged over both days of the U.S. Open golf tournament on NBC to finish behind only the NBA Finals in the sports ratings. The pre-race show turned in a 3.2 rating and 10 share.(MotorsportsTV)(6-19-2003)
TV Ratings for Michigan: Fox’s broadcast of Sunday’s Sirius 400 at Michigan International Speedway, which was won by Kurt Busch in Roush Racing’s #97 Ford, drew an overnight 4.5 rating and 11 share from Nielsen Media Resarch’s largest national markets, according to today’s Sports Business Daily. The network will need a bump from the nation’s smaller TV markets if it’s going to match the 4.8/13 that it drew in the final ratings last year. The ratings lagged well behind those for two NBA playoff games on ABC and the third and fourth rounds of the U.S. Open golf tournament on NBC.(Winston Cup Scene Daily Newsletter)(6-16-2003)
Final Pocono TV Ratings: Sunday’s Pocono 500 on FOX turned in a 5.3 final rating and 14 share, up 4 percent from last year’s 5.1 final number. The race had 5,680,000 households tune in, according to Nielsen Media Research. The race finished behind two NBA playoff games and the Belmont Stakes in the TV ratings. The 5.3 final rating is the best ever for a race from Pocono. Also, along with last year’s effort from Watkins Glen on NBC, the 5.3 is the strongest rating for NASCAR in recent history in the summer months of June, July, and August for a race outside of Daytona, Indianapolis, or Chicago.(MotorsportsTV)(6-13-2003)
Pocono Overnight Ratings Up 11% The Winston Cup race from Pocono on FOX turned in solid overnights of a 5.1 rating and 12 share, an 11 percent increase over last year’s overnights of 4.6/11. Last year’s race got a nice overnight bump to finish with a 5.1 and 15 share. The 2001 race had overnights of 4.3/11 and finished with a 4.4 rating and 11 share. Both the NBA playoff game and Belmont Stakes turned in significantly higher numbers than NASCAR this weekend.(MotorsportsTV)(6-10-2003)
TV Ratings for Dover: The MBNA Armed Forces Family 400 at Dover International Speedway on FX garnered a 4.7 rating on Sunday, making it the third highest rated show on cable TV for the week. This is equal to last year’s rating for the Dover race on FX. The race reached 3,807,000 households (5,377,000 viewers). It also finished third in the Adult 18-49 demo, with a 2.8 rating in that group.(MotorsportsTV.com)(6-3-2003)
Coke 600 TV Ratings…beats Indy: NASCAR beat the Indianapolis 500, but by just .1 rating point, which was good enough for the #1 slot in sports television last week. The Coca-Cola 600 on FOX scored a 4.7 rating and 11 share. These results beat ABC’s Indianapolis 500 (4.6 rating and 14 share) for the second straight year. NASCAR’s number is down 8 percent from last year, while Indy’s result fell off 4 percent. The Coca-Cola 600 reached 5,055,000 households and 8,042,000 people, according to Nielsen Media Research. Indy had 4,892,000 households and 6,723,000 people. Interestingly, the Coca-Cola 600 rain delay coverage from 6:57 p.m. to 7:10 p.m. officially checked in third place among sports broadcasts with a 4.4 rating. The Indy 500 pre-race show had a 2.7 rating and 9 share, good enough for 7th place.(MotorsportsTV)(5-31-2003)
Coke 600 FOX Sunday Night Ratings: These are Nielsen’s numbers as reported by Mediaweek’s Programming Insider. Also, these numbers are only for the prime time portion of the race. Here’s what MotorsportsTV have on overnight ratings for Sunday night so far:
NBC 7.8/14; CBS 5.6/10; FOX 5.3 / 9 ; ABC 3.1/5. Zap2it says the fast national numbers show that FOX earned a 4.9/10 for the night in prime time, with the race garnering a 4.6/10 from 7-8, a 5.2/10 from 8-9, and the final hour yielding a 4.8/8. Sunday’s 87th running of the Indianapolis 500 on ABC yielded a 5.1 overnight rating, down 4 percent from last year’s overnight number.(MotorsportsTV)(5-27-2003)
TV Stuff: In the three years since Fox, NBC and Turner Sports started their $2.8 billion, six-year contract with NASCAR, ratings have skyrocketed. According to figures compiled by Sports Business Journal, ratings in the past three years have increased 109 percent in Chicago, 35 percent in New York and 34 percent in Los Angeles. “As far as ratings go, I don’t know if there’s a healthier sport in his country,” Goren told the magazine. “The national ratings week in and week out declare that this is a national sport.” The national ratings for the first 11 races of the season have averaged a 5.6. A year ago, the average rating was a 5.8, but NASCAR officials quickly said the small decline can be attributed to two rain delays during the season-opening Daytona 500 and three weeks of war coverage. The national ratings continue to support the racing series’ contention it’s the second-most popular sport on television. It trails only the NFL in ratings. The top six markets in the country for racing are: Greensboro, N.C. (15.9); Greenville, S.C. (13.4); Charlotte, N.C. (13.1); Indianapolis (11.8); Knoxville, Tenn. (10.6); and Dayton, Ohio (10.6). What has NASCAR doing cartwheels is that ratings also are up in nonracing areas such as Buffalo and Seattle (both up 22 percent) and Boston (21).(Augusta Chronicle)(5-22-2003)
TV Ratings for the Winston: The Winston, televised on FX last Saturday night, had a 3.9 cable rating, with 3,080,000 households tuned in. The weekend’s only other motorsports event, the Indianapolis 500 Time Trials last Sunday afternoon, had a 2.6 overnight network rating on ABC.(Figures compiled by Nielsen Media Research)(NASCAR PR)(5-21-2003)
Richmond Broadcast #1 on Cable: The FX broadcast of the Winston Cup race from Richmond was last week’s highest-rated broadcast on cable television. The race garnered a 4.1 rating, drawing 3.3 million homes. This is even with last year’s 4.1 rating, but is an increase of 200,000 households due to more homes that receive FX. The telecast averaged 5.3 million viewers for the race. The demos were strong, with #1 wins for the week in Adults 18-49 (2.9 million), Adults 25-54 (3.3 million), and Men 25-54 (2 million). The other programs in the top five for the week on cable were two WWE broadcasts, the Presidential Address, and Spongebob Square Pants.(MotorsportsTV)(5-8-2003)
Final California TV Ratings: Nielsen Media Research figures show Fox’s broadcast of the Auto Club 500 from California Speedway was the most-watched sports program last weekend with 8.3 million viewers, according to today’s Sports Business Daily. Final figures show the race drew a 5.3 rating and 13 share to top the 4.9/12 ABC drew for the NBA’s Timberwolves-Lakers playoff game. The final figures represent a virtual reversal of the overnight results that had shown the race drawing a 4.9/11 and the game drawing a 5.3/12 from the nation’s largest markets. Despite the small-market boost, the race still fell short of the 5.9/13 it drew last year. The Daily says that so far this season the Fox results are down 3 percent from 2002 with an average of 6.0/14 this year versus a 6.2/15 last season.(Winston Cup Scene Daily Newsletter)(5-2-2003)
Early TV Ratings for California: Fox is going to need a boost from small markets if its ratings for Sunday’s broadcast of the Auto Club 500 Winston Cup race at California Speedway are going to match last year’s figures. Today’s Sports Business Daily says Nielsen Media Research’s overnight figures from the nation’s largest markets show the race drew a 4.9 rating and an 11 share. While the ratings trail only Sunday’s NBA playoff game between the Lakers and Timberwolves (5.3/12) among weekend telecasts of sporting events, they fall well short of the 5.9/13 that Fox drew in 2002 for the California race.(Winston Cup Scene Daily Newsletter)(4-28-2003)
Martinsville TV Ratings – FINAL: Martinsville Ratings Gets Impressive Small Market Bump for 5.3 Final Number. The viewers in the smaller markets turned out in a big way to give NASCAR on FOX from Martinsville a big boost. Nielsen Media Research reports that the final numbers were a 5.3 rating and 14 share, up from a 4.6 rating and 10 share in the overnights. The race was the second-highest rated sporting event of the weekend, finishing behind the 8.3 rating turned in by The Masters on Sunday. The golf tournament from Augusta declined from a 9.3 overnight rating. The NASCAR numbers represent 5,631,000 households and almost 8 million viewers. Last year’s race was on FX, so a direct comparison can’t be made. It finished with a 4.5 cable rating (within the April 2002 FX universe) and 3.4 million households. The 2001 race on FOX finished with a 5.4 rating and 15 share, slightly ahead of this year’s numbers.(MotorsportsTV)(4-17-2003)
TV Ratings for Martinsville – FORE: Fox’s broadcast of Sunday’s Virginia 500 Winston Cup race from Martinsville Speedway drew an overnight Nielsen rating of 4.6 and a 10 share, according to today’s Sports Business Daily. The weekend’s highest ratings went to CBS, which posted a 9.3/19 for Sunday’s coverage of the final round of the Masters golf tournament and a 6.2/14 for Saturday’s round, although those figures were down 6 and 11 percent respectively. The 2002 race was aired on Fox’s FX cable station, where it drew a 4.5/11, according to Sports Business Daily figures.(Winston Cup Daily Newsletter)(4-14-2003)
Final Talladega TV Ratings: Final Nielsen figures for Fox’s broadcast of last Sunday’s Aaron’s 499 Winston Cup race from Talladega Superspeedway show the race drew a 6.2 rating and 15 share, according to MotorsportsTV.com. The figures show a solid jump from the 5.7/12 overnight figures but still left the race well short of last year’s 7.0/16. Nonetheless, the race didn’t drop nearly as much as they did for CBS’s broadcast of the NCAA basketball tournament’s semifinal games, which fell from 11.3 last year to 7.9 and 9.4 to 6.3, MotorsportsTV.com says. The major cause for the drops in the sports ratings continues to be the war with Iraq, the Web site and industry observers say.(Winston Cup Scene Daily Newsletter)(4-12-2003)
Talladega Early TV Ratings Down: Nielsen says Fox’s broadcast of Sunday’s Aaron’s 499 Winston Cup race from Talladega Superspeedway drew an overnight 5.7 rating and a 12 share, according to today’s Sports Business Daily. The figures were well off the final numbers for 2002 Talladega race, which was run two weeks later and drew a 7.0/16, but all sports programming appears to be continuing to feel the impact of the war with Iraq. The Daily reports that the two NCAA basketball tournament semifinal games were off 30 percent and 25 percent.(Winston Cup Scene Daily Newsletter), past ratings on my 2003 TV Ratings page.(4-7-2003)
Final Texas TV Ratings: Today’s Sports Business Daily says that final Nielsen figures for Fox’s broadcast of last Sunday’s Samsung/RadioShack 500 Winston Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway fell 10 percent from last year. This year’s race had a 6.3 rating and 14 share, down from 7.0/10. But all sports events continued to show the impact that the war with Iraq is having. The Daily says CBS’s coverage of the NCAA basketball tournament is down 22 percent from last year and noted that NBC’s coverage of Sunday’s final round of the PGA Players’ Championship was down 23 percent. Overall, the Daily says Fox’s NASCAR coverage is up 3 percent this year, with an average of 6.3/15, compared to a 6.1/15 in 2002.(Winston Cup Scene Daily Newsletter)(4-5-2003)
Final Bristol TV Ratings: Final Nielsen figures show that small markets boosted the ratings considerably for Fox’s airing of the March 23 Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway, but the numbers were still down 11.3 percent from last year. Today’s Sports Business Daily says the final figures show the race earned a 5.5 rating and 13 share. While that was up from the 5.1/11 overnight figures, it was still well short of the 6.2/16 the race drew in 2002, when sports events weren’t competing with war news for viewers’ attention.(Winston Cup Scene Daily Newsletter – free)(4-1-2003)
TV Rating Down: Fox’s broadcast of Sunday’s Samsung/RadioShack 500 from Texas Motor Speedway earned a 5.8 rating and 12 share in overnight Nielsen figures, according to today’s Sports Business Daily. The Winston Cup race trailed two NCAA basketball tournament games on CBS and tied with a third one among all weekend sports events on television. This year’s race also lagged well behind last year’s final figures of 7.0/18.(Winston Cup Scene Daily Newsletter – free)(3-31-2003)
Bristol TV Ratings Down: Today’s Sports Business Daily says Nielsen Media Research’s overnight numbers show that Fox’s broadcast of Sunday’s Food City 500 Winston Cup race drew a 5.1 rating and an 11 share, well off last year’s final 6.2/16. The race figures trail four individual NCAA basketball tournament games on CBS, but the war with Iraq appears to be having a major impact on all sports broadcasts. The Daily says ratings are off more than 20 percent for CBS’s coverage of the NCAA tournament. CBS, for instance, earned a 5..2/10 overnight Nielsen rating for yesterday’s coverage of the tournament from noon to 9:15 p.m. (Eastern time), down 24 percent from last year’s 6.8/14. On Saturday CBS earned a 5.2/11 from 1 to 11 p.m., down 24 percent from last year’s 6.8/15.(Winston Cup Scene Daily Newsletter)(3-24-2003)
Final TV Ratings for Darlington: Final Nielsen Media Research figures show that Fox’s broadcast of last Sunday’s Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 Winston Cup race from Darlington drew 2 percent more viewers than a year ago. Figures in today’s Sports Business Daily show that the race drew a 5.9 rating and 15 share, up from 5.8/14 last year. The Daily says the race was viewed by some 9.3 million people, and MotorsportsTV.com notes that it was the fifth straight week that a Winston Cup race was the nation’s most-watched weekend sports event. MotorsportsTV.com also noted that Fox’s average 6.5/16 this year (up 7 percent over 2002) means that it draws more viewers than the next two sports this season combined, the PGA with 3.4/8 and the NBA with a 2.9/7.(Winston Cup Scene Daily Newsletter)(3-22-2003)
Darlington TV Ratings: Fox’s broadcast of yesterday’s Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 Winston Cup race at Darlington Raceway was the weekend’s top sports draw on television, today’s Sports Business Daily reports. The Daily says overnight Nielsen figures show the race with a 5.5 rating and a 13 share, well ahead of the 5.0/9 that CBS drew for the second-highest rated sports show, its coverage of the NCAA basketball tournament selections. Final figures from last year showed the race with a 5.8/14 on Fox, which was down from a 6.1/15 in 2001.(Winston Cup Scene Daily Newsletter)(3-17-2003)
Atlanta TV Ratings: Nielsen’s overnight figures show that Fox’s broadcast of Sunday’s Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 Winston Cup race from Atlanta Motor Speedway was the weekend’s most-watched sports program, today’s Sports Business Daily reports. The race, which was won by Bobby Labonte in Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 18 Chevrolet, drew a 6.0 rating and 14 share to easily outdistance the 4.2/9 for ABC’s broadcast of the NBA game between the 76ers and Lakers. The preliminary race figures are close to last year’s 6.0/15 final figures but would need a considerable boost from small markets to match the 6.7/17 the race drew in 2001.(Winston Cup Scene Daily Newsletter)(3-10-2003)
Las Vegas TV: Fox’s coverage of yesterday’s UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 Winston Cup race at Las Vegas drew more television viewers than any other weekend sports events, today’s Sports Business Daily reports. The Daily says that Nielsen Media Research shows that the race drew a preliminary 6.3 rating and 13 share to finish well ahead of the 5.9/12 for ABC’s Sunday coverage of the world match-play golf event featuring Tiger Woods. No comparable overnight numbers from 2002 were reported, but the figures appear to be in line with last year’s final 6.4/13 for the Las Vegas race, according to The Daily’s figures.(Winston Cup Scene – Daily Newsletter – free)(3-3-2003)
Rockingham TV Ratings increase: Fox earned a 6.3/13 overnight Nielsen rating for its coverage of yesterday’s Subway 400 Winston Cup race at North Carolina Speedway, an 11% increase over last year’s 5.7/13, according to the Sports Business Daily. The race, which saw Dale Jarrett victorious over Kurt Busch after a late-race battle, was the top sports event on television this weekend, well ahead of the 5.1/10 that ABC drew for its final-round coverage of the PGA’s Nissan Open. Fox’s pre-race coverage drew a 4.2/10 to rank third.(Winston Cup Scene Daily Newsletter)(2-24-2003)
Daytona 500 TV Ratings: Sunday’s rain-shortened running of the 45th Daytona 500 still captured 29.4 million viewers, the event’s fifth-biggest audience ever, according to Nielsen Media Research. Despite televising approximately two-hours and ten minutes of race coverage during a four-hour and 38-minute broadcast, the Daytona 500 on FOX scored an impressive 9.8/21 preliminary national household rating/share, and ties the 1987 race as the fourth highest-rated Daytona 500 ever. At any given time, the 2003 race averaged 16.8 million viewers, the third highest in history. Even with Sunday’s rain delays, the Daytona 500 still posted the highest rating of any sporting event since Super Bowl XXXVII, and easily beat events such as the NBA All-Star Game and NFL Pro Bowl. The Daytona 500 also retains its title as the top event in motorsports. Sunday’s 9.8/21 out-rates the last 10 Indianapolis 500s. One national ratings point represents 1 percent of the 106,700,000 million estimated television households in the United States (1,067,000).(Fox Sports)(2-18-2003)
BGN TV Ratings: Fox got a 3.6 overnight rating for its coverage of Saturday’s Koolerz 300 Busch race, up 24 percent from the Fox broadcast in 2001. Last year, the Busch race was on TNT cable and got a 2.9. Saturday’s race got a 7.7 rating in Charlotte.(ThatsRacin.com)(2-17-2003)
TV Ratings from Saturday night: CBS claimed its usual place at the top of the ratings on Saturday night, taking a 6.3 rating/11 share in households, ahead of FOX, 5.1/9. NBC was third with a 4.8/8, while ABC brought up the rear with a 3.8/7. Among adults 18-49, FOX averaged a 3.3 rating; NBC, 2.4; ABC, 2.2; and CBS, 2.0. FOX took the eight o’clock hour with NASCAR averaging a 5.4/10 for the hour, ahead CBS’ “Touched by an Angel,” 5.3/10. NBC was third with “Law & Order,” 5.1/19, while ABC gave its night over to the movie “The Shawshank Redemption,” 3.2/6. At 9 p.m., CBS moved up to the top spot with “The District,” 7.1/12. FOX slipped to second with NASCAR, 5.4/10. NBC aired a repeat of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” 5.2/9, and ABC’s movie remained in fourth.(Zap2It.com)(2-9-2003)
Born on Date: February 10, 2003