Another Saturday night race, another poor overnight for NASCAR on cable. NASCAR Sprint Cup racing from Richmond earned a 1.7 overnight rating on NBCSN Saturday night, down 37% from last year (2.7) and down 41% from 2013 (2.9), both of which aired on ABC. The 1.7 is the second-lowest of the season for a Sprint Cup race, ahead of only rain-delayed coverage from Kansas on Fox Sports 1 in May (1.5). Four of the five lowest Sprint Cup overnights this season have been for Saturday night races on cable – with Bristol in August (1.9) and Kentucky in July (2.0) joining the Richmond and Kansas races. The only Sunday race to rank in the bottom five was Michigan in June, which was delayed due to rain (2.0). Thirteen of the 14 Sprint Cup races on cable this season have had a decline in overnights, with the previously mentioned Kentucky race the lone exception. It should be noted that Richmond was the first race of the season to face head-to-head football competition, airing opposite ABC’s Saturday Night Football (5.0). Each week for the remainder of the season, NASCAR will air opposite either college football or the NFL.(ShowBuzz Daily / Sports Media Watch)(9-15-2015)
UPDATE: NASCAR Sprint Cup racing from Richmond drew a 1.8 final rating and 3.1 million viewers on NBCSN Saturday night, down 38% in ratings and 45% in viewership from last year (3.0, 4.9M) and down 45% and 41%, respectively, from 2013 (3.3, 5.2M), both of which aired on broadcast network ABC. Even including rainouts, Matt Kenseth’s win ranks as the lowest rated and least-watched edition of the fall Richmond race since at least 2001. The previous lows were a 2.5 and 4.0 million in 2008, when the race was postponed to Sunday afternoon and aired on ESPN. As recently as 2007, the race had a 4.2 and 6.8 million on ABC.(Sports Media Watch)(9-16-2015)
