A leading business development, project manager in the auction and liquidation industry, and consultant for various local and national government offices in the Philippines. As streaming services provide instant entertainment whileNASCARhas scheduled andlengthy race events,thecomparison is similar toordering drive-thru (cheap and convenient) versusdining at a fine restaurant (pricier and takes longer before you can eat). But the ratings decline is hitting all of the leagues hard (including MLB, which has not embraced the movement on the field nearly as much as the WNBA, NBA, and NFL). So NASCAR racing has become just like European formula-car racing and IndyCar racing in North America. Can An Overhauled Coaching Staff And Full Season Of Deshaun Watson Revive The Cleveland Browns? They are the only one of the Big 3 Motorsports that still have this happen. Brandon Kochkodin. 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. As one of motorsport's most popular race series, NASCAR has a long and colorful history that dates to the US prohibition erain the 1930s. And abuse and manipulation of that system. 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. Maybe there is a segment of fans who tune in for death-defying calamities, but that has always been a part of the sport and still is. NASCAR moved the Brickyard 400 to September . "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 . And stage races have also not gone over well with purists. Men in particular were more put. 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. NASCAR Fans Rebel Against Confederate Flag Ban. It may seem good on the surface, but there's more beneath that makes this concerning. 4 million viewers in. The coverage goes through the entire event. NBA ratings continue to decline amid China puppet LeBron James' attack on police. So if Im right, in a few years NASCAR may become Americas summer sport again. NASCAR was plenty defiant resisting this idea at their peakbut these days, theyre not in a position to ignore displeased fans. Overall, NASCAR brought in 114.231 million average viewers throughout the entire 2022 season which marks its. 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. Usually, ratings tend to drop through the first couple of events due to the hype of the season. And based on what we see today, NASCAR seems to be on an upward trajectory and shows no signs of slowing down. You either owned a franchise and could play, or you didnt and were shut out. So to the extent that you can be flat or even up a couple of points it says a lot just about fan interest in the sport.. Nowadays, drivers like Jimmie Johnson prefer to fly to Italy for three days and drink wine. From their colorful beginnings to what is now a billion-dollar sporting event, NASCAR has continued to provide high octane entertainment for its millions of fans and supporters. The one thing, though, that all those racing drivers had in common Petty, Pearson, Parsons, Bodine, Waltrip, Earnhardt, Wallace and the rest is that they all started racing on local tracks and created reputations for themselves as hard chargers who were winners. Yes, you had to be able to prove that you knew what you were doing out there but if your car passed technical inspection and you could either qualify to race through time trials or qualifying races, you were in. The crowd sold out it's 30% capacity soon after the event was . 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. 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. It didnt help that a hugely popular driver underperformed, but that shouldnt have caused this much of a free fall. The broadcasts have also improved. Photo credit: sidehike on Visual hunt / CC BY-SA Many former fans consider this state of affairs to be ridiculous. Is PNC Park The Best Ballpark in Baseball? 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. This year's NCAA tournament ratings were down 11%. Translation: the drivers are paying for the pleasure of racing. In 2007, an average of 16.4 million viewers tuned in to watch The Daytona 500, but by 2014 that number had fallen by more than 50% to an average of 8.3 million viewers per race. Photo credit: Zach Catanzareti Photo on Best Running / CC BY Games on TNT are also down by more. All four Cup Series races this season have declined from the corresponding weeks of last season, though this weeks drop was the smallest thus far. He pointed out that despite the ratings decline, NASCAR achieved a "double-digit share increase" last year. The sport mishandled the on-track racing by introducing the 550 horsepower package which caused the fanbase to lose trust. It was a radical change to a sport that didnt need radical changes. Related: NASCARs Daytona 500 ratings indicate a worrisome trend. People rooted for car brands as well as drivers, and car companies believed in the whole win on Sunday, sell on Monday mantra. 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. over the same Cup Series stops last season, 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. 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. Admittedly, several of these rule changes have been beneficial to the sport, but some have unfortunately come across as marketing stunts that have turned away fans. The same race last year attracted 4.154 million viewers, and the 2017 race drew 4.662 million both of which had established respective viewership lows for the 36th and final race of the too-dang-long Cup season. 500 MOMENTUM:Daytona 500 TV ratings: NASCAR opener ends two-year viewership decline. The XFL's ratings were disappointing in Week One. NASCAR Las Vegas ratings hit a new low. NASCARs initial playoff brainchild was hugely unpopular, and every griping fan in comment sections of blogs everywhere had the artificial points reset near the top of their list of complaints. It was boxy, ugly, and top heavyand its shape was part of the reason for the Indianapolis debacle of 2008. Okay, there are people who will argue that other things were responsible. I hope so. HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 17: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Toyota, celebrates after [+] winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Homestead Speedway on November 17, 2019 in Homestead, Florida. 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. 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. When you use this link to shop on Amazon, youll help subsidize this great websiteat no extra charge to you. And the season will conclude at Phoenix again, a more exciting venue than Miami where the finale had been for years. What are the biggest differences between these sports? Jimmie Johnson was a hallmark of ruthless efficiency in his prime, winning seven titles and five in a row. And it will be pretty hard to turn back the clock on either of those. Their retirements are a reason for the ratings decline in 2018. The full Xfinity Series season averaged 1.04 million viewers, up 9% from last year (952K) and 2019 (954K). They got famous because of word-of-mouth (Hey, didja hear about that new kid blowin em away over at Hickory?), weekly newspapers like National Speed Sport News (called simply Speed Sport and whos Editors Notebook by the late Chris Economaki was a Must Read) and magazines like Stock Car Racing. Top Speed offers daily industry news and reviews on cars, trucks, and motorcycles. Ratings fell 19% and viewership 21% from last year, when it was the second race of the season (3.2, 5.50M). 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. For the first time in over a decade and a half, they seem to be headed in the right direction. Ousting Brian France, who created the Chase and presided over the sports decline, was no small part of that. or Disney plus; there's more competition for those eyeballs then there's ever been. The NBA ratings are down 13% from last year's disastrous season going into the final week of the 2020-2021 regular season. Certain segments of fans, and media, began to cry that sky was falling. Photo credit: royal_broil on Best Running / CC BY-SA The 2019 season was run as regularly scheduled as well. This means that fewer televisions are being turned on around the country; however, the percentage of those people watching NASCAR is increasing. Now72 years old, the racing organization has managed to evolve through the decades in order to meet the changing trends, technology, and preferences that directly affect the sport. It makes a world of difference watching on TV. 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. The drops: 10% in one year, 19% in two years, 38% in three years, and, good golly Miss Molly, 51% since 2015, when NBC picked up the second half of the season in a giant 10-year contract, with Fox doing the first half. . 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 Johnson is getting some commiserations from the fans after the ratings came out. The fan base that is paying attention to our sport now than probably two or three years agopart of that is the economic model of our sport is a little bit more sounder, on solid footing; the introduction to the Next Gen car, it brings on new owners like Justin Marks and Michael Jordan, Pitbull et cetera. Its certainly healthy in terms of eyeballs, Hebrst said. winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Homestead Speedway on November 17, 2019 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images). Jerseyball Millvilles Mike Trout and Aaron Cox, Precision Pistol Shooting For Greatness, The Power of Fun Dave Raymond, The Original Phillie Phanatic, Being Relentless The HEADstrong Foundation, Surviving Until Tuesday Sergeant Andrew Einstein. In terms of tier one sports properties, he said. However, in recent years that growth has slowed. Interestingly, it has been said that NASCAR has been getting younger (the drivers) and older (the fans) at the same time. Last years Xfinity race at the track aired on FS2 and had a 0.21 and 341,000. NASCAR's social media channels have piled up nearly 2 billion social impressions (the number of times its content was viewed) and more than 92 million fan engagements (retweets, likes, shares). The erosion is even more pronounced when you . You also dont often see post-race fisticuffs after races at Kansas or Vegas like you might at Martinsville or Bristol. On the other hand, NASCAR will go to full-screen commercials on a regular basis which affects the way a fan can follow the race. 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. Where . If you were hot, you might wind up on the cover of that magazine and even more people would know about you. All that said, the unveiling of the Car of Tomorrow in 2007 certainly didnt help. 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?. Digital and social consumption is as important now, as it's ever been; probably more important now than it's ever been, he said. The previous days Xfinity Series finale drew a 0.6 (flat) and 1.01 million (+3%) on NBCSN and last Fridays Truck Series finale drew a 0.30 (+3%) and 473,000 (-4%) on FS1. And one other thing about NASCAR in those days: the races were open to anybody who could qualify. I also think it's healthy just in terms of the interest. The household share was up 9% compared to 2022 and represented the largest share for the second race of the season since 2017. The XFL's ratings were disappointing in Week One. 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