1) Just like all the other major racing series in the world, NASCAR has become a money deal. Photo credit: sarahstierch on Visualhunt.com / CC BY 2) When NASCAR established the franchise system in 2016, the league essentially became a closed shop. Fox reported a modest 2% increase in viewership of comparable Cup race from 2018 to 2019, but it needs to be noted that Foxs part of the schedule does not collide with NFL and college football, which NASCAR fans also enjoy watching. . 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. The cars already were mostly spec at that point, and the sport was doing just finebooming even. When you use this link to shop on Amazon, youll help subsidize this great websiteat no extra charge to you. NASCAR blew off fan demand for picture-in-picture commercial breakssomething theyve since embracedwhile Fox Sportss indifference to fans went completely unchecked. 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. With all the different metrics used to measure a sport these days however, it can be complicated. 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. Those numbers of course, dont tell the entire story. They shut down the polls and went ahead with it anyway. That would have a big effect on viewership overall. HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 17: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Toyota along with his wife [+] 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. It may seem good on the surface, but theres more beneath that makes this concerning. These fans would attend a race, then go sightseeing around the town so as to make the trip more worthwhile and as a result, even more money is required to be put in the budget in order to cover the costs for a dew days hotel stay. Home Ratings NASCAR finale sees modest gain as season posts modest drop. Top Ten motorsport stories: Abu Dhabi, Larson, COVID 2022 Land Rover Range Rover looks gorgeous, The government of Canada is harassing its citizens, William Davis: a Liberal in Conservative clothing, Trying to create a story where there is no story, Dubas will dump Tavares to make Rielly captain, Canadian racings crown jewel, Jukasa Motor (nee Cayuga) Speedway is closed down, I have my critics but Page, McReynolds top the list, What my grandchildren think Santa would drive (if he had a car), The markets shifting to EVs and that explains Fords flip-flop, Lets use public embarrassment as a way to curb drinking and driving. There are still 11 races on intermediate tracks, but its finally moving in the right direction. Strauss also reported that TNT's viewership is down 40 percent since the 2011-12 season, and ESPN has seen a decline of about 20 percent during the same time. Earlier this month, NASCAR said the Confederate flag no longer will be allowed at its events. Photo credit: Darryl W. Moran Photography on Visual Hunt / CC BY-ND Related: NASCARs NextGen car shows promise and one huge issue. CLASH SUCCESS:NASCAR TV ratings are in, and the Clash is most-viewed since 2016. The NASCAR Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway averaged 4.315 million average viewers on FOX last weekend. Ricky Rudd, Ken Schrader, Geoff Bodine, Rusty Wallace and Trevor Boys were among several dozen drivers whose names soon became familiar, if not famous. Hes tasked with not only getting exposure for the sport but measuring that exposure and translating in a way that shows value to stakeholders. You can contact him here or on the Sports Media Watch Twitter page. In the early 2000s, NASCAR was soaring. Drivers. Social impressions, social following, a positive buzz of our sport, which is measured by third parties, like at YouGov is up 2.5 X over the course of the last two to three years.. It may seem good on the surface, but there's more beneath that makes this concerning. The current NBA broadcast deal nets the league $2.6 billion a year, however, a new report says the next one may be closer to $8 billion annually. Then they sharply declined in Week Two.The four XFL games in Week Two averaged 665,000 viewers, which is a 50 percent decline from the four XFL . This isnt to say that the initial Car of Tomorrow wasnt a disasterit wasbut at the time, fans were plenty vocal about safety after the loss of the sports biggest icon. What are the biggest differences between these sports? [Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 11.9, network PR]. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images). Photo credit: Zach Catanzareti Photo on Best Running / CC BY 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 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. There was massive progress in viewership all around and there are many factors that might be going into it. Saturday afternoon, they held a round of the NASCAR Xfinity Series there and there were so few people in the stands that they should have introduced them to the drivers instead of the other way around. After sweeping claims of a toxic work environment throughout 2020, the star and her show have been scrambling to make things right. In 1994, there were six events held at intermediate tracks of 1.5-2 miles in length. Even though the Confederate battle flag was banned within Talledega Speedway on Sunday, outside the track, the initials "PC" stood for "publicly Confederate.". Thats exactly what NASCAR did when they took the Labor Day race out of Darlington and sent it to Auto Club Speedway in California. 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. All eight CBS-owned CW affiliates have "declined to air" LIV Golf's tournaments, according to Rice & Hayes of DEADLINE. The Monday portion of that race averaged a 4.2 and 7.03 million, compared to a 6.2 and 10.94 million for the first 20 laps on Sunday before weather rolled in. As Ive said, the sport is finally addressing its venue problem. 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. If they hadnt, youd probably be reading articles today about the decline of Coca-Cola too. 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). Which meant that other drivers didnt win a lot. In that race, caution flags were flown almost every ten laps for tire wear, as Jimmie Johnson limped to a victory. 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. 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. 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. 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. Schedule/Results. By then, hardly anyone will have a standard TV, anyway, because every event will be streamed, and ratings wont matter. Danica Patrick just retired. With two races remaining after this weekend Phoenix next weekend and then the finale at Homestead-Miami this would seem to be as good a time as any to take a look at why the bloom has come off that NASCAR rose and why it is going to be almost impossible for it to ever regenerate. 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. Comments Off on What Caused The Decline of NASCAR? With fewer fans at the track, you might think TV ratings would continue to rise and maybe even increase as those fans turned on the TV instead of spending money to go to the track. NBC reported Monday that its broadcast of the NASCAR Cup championship race from Homestead-Miami Speedway in Florida drew an average of 3.759 million viewers, its best audience for its half of the season. There were often timesand Im not exaggerating thiswhen a viewer would see maybe five laps of racing, a two-minute break, and then just two more laps of racing before another break. And forget Danica the non-stop promotion and ass-kissing of all things NASCAR by the announcers seriously, compare them against broadcasters of any other big-league sport has people who were once fans changing the channel permanently. Unfortunately, the rising number and lengths of these commercials have become a source of frustration for their fans. They are included along with social media engagement, streaming, and the like. 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 . Where . OTHER VIEWS? 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 share has become an increasingly relevant metric to sports leagues in recent months, as it is a metric immune from the broader trend of viewers watching less linear television. Yes, thats actually true; read it again if you need to. The above car is a NASCAR entry that is supposed to look like a Toyota Supra. While this already marks the third time that NASCAR has seen the average viewership go down, there is one major positive to take away from it. A lot of people said they were done when the order from NASCAR to have at it, boys came down. When not at work, Karlo spends his time at home, with family, either being the cook or fixit guy in his house. Last years season-opener at Barber only averaged 914 thousand viewers which is almost an extra 500 thousand. On Monday, the Bristol Motor Speedway dirt track hosted the NASCAR Cup Series. A fan of cars and bikes, and most anything with an engine, he divides his time between work and family. 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). Compared to NASCARs 18-49 demographic, IndyCar has an average of 24%, while they are at 20.1%. Far from it. Games on TNT are also down by more. 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. NASCAR Fans Rebel Against Confederate Flag Ban. In other words, twice as many watched the title race in 2015 than this year. Below, we take a look at the NASCAR ratings over the course of the 2023 season with an up-to-date analysis of each event. Just because no one has been killed at the Cup level since Earnhardts death doesnt make it less so. Photo credit: Ford Racing on VisualHunt / CC BY Okay, there are people who will argue that other things were responsible. But more importantly, the racing isnt anywhere near as exciting at the cookie cutters, as I so eloquently explained here. 2.27.2023. Not only is this tolerated by NASCAR but encouraged. 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. Next years championship race will be held in Phoenix, and even though the 2020 race should draw a packed house of 42,000, or 7,000 more than the estimated crowd at Homestead, fans have said they dont like the racing at Phoenix as much. Yes, sports ratings as a whole are down, but NASCAR's fall is alarming: Daytona 500 viewership from 2001 to 2009 ranged from 16 to 19 million. 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. 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. So what caused the decline of NASCAR to the point where the sport is desperately trying to remain relevant? Just ten years later, there were 13 such eventsnearly half the schedule. Tiger Woods was great for golf. 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. Last year, nearly 70 million unique viewers tuned in to . NASCAR moved away from tracks where drivers push and shove and fight both other racecars and the track, and moved to aero-dependent speedways where engineers in the garage determined winners. In 2019, that number had dropped to just 2.92 million. NASCAR's meteoric rise was fed by the rise of Jeff Gordon, whom many consider to be NASCAR's first superstar, and the death of legend Dale Earnhardt Sr. Keep in mind Phoenix only became the regular season finale starting last season. NASCAR TV ratings were once the darlings of the sport. Photo credit: Zach Catanzareti Photo on VisualHunt.com / CC BY-SA 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 same story goes for NASCAR as the adverts that major companies place during their televised races are a major source of income for the organization and the teams. And one other thing about NASCAR in those days: the races were open to anybody who could qualify. Formula 1 and IndyCar are on the rise while NASCAR is slowly declining on a weekly and yearly basis. However, these deals may be stopping the brand from adapting to consumers' changing viewing habits. 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. It would have saved a lot of time. I was critical of the Chase in plenty of columns, but I felt like I really got the point across with this one about it. Herbst, and NASCAR, are well aware that fans, and some media, still look to the ratings. NASCAR power rankings during the 2023 season, NASCAR odds: Betting lines for each race and championship futures, NASCAR ratings on big rise compared to recent years in 2022, NASCAR standings: Cup, Xfinity, and Truck points during the 2023 season, Share up 9%, largest for Race #2 since 2017, Share up 2%, largest for Daytona 500 since 2016, Second most-watched non-points race since 2016. Next:10 NASCAR Drivers With The Most Wins (& How Much They Won). After two DNFs in the first two Chase events resulting from simple bad luck, just like that his title hopes were gone. Translation: the drivers are paying for the pleasure of racing. Interestingly, it has been said that NASCAR has been getting younger (the drivers) and older (the fans) at the same time. In todays media world they are now just a small part of what is used to measure the popularity of the sport. The decline of NASCAR from dominance started circa 2005, and there wasnt any big change to car specs in that time period. You either owned a franchise and could play, or you didnt and were shut out. or Disney plus; there's more competition for those eyeballs then there's ever been. The Truck Series averaged 594,000, up 16% from last year (511K) and 13% from 2019 (549K). (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. The broadcasts have also improved. Jimmie Johnson was a hallmark of ruthless efficiency in his prime, winning seven titles and five in a row. For instance: The non-stop promotion of Danica Patrick, as if she was the Second Coming (she wasnt), turned off a lot of fans. The disappointing ratings continue a downward trend in Daytona 500 viewership, which has been steadily declining since Fox scored 18.7 million viewers in 2005 with a household rating of 10.9 . The six-race consecutive increase in viewership prior to Talladega is something that everyone can understand and helps reinforce just how healthy NASCAR is. NASCAR was at Texas Motor Speedway this weekend and if I was NASCAR, I would be embarrassed. Furthermore, their retirements are probably not the sole reason for NASCAR's viewership issues either. NHL regular season ratings were down 12% this year. Removing the Toyota logo and Supra badge, one would be hard-pressed to identify, and in actuality, to associate with the caron what it is supposed to represent. Karlo watched a lot of Mcgyver back in the 90's and grew up trying to be a Mr. fixit/jack of all trades. 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. 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. 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 television ratings for sports in 2020 reflect the poll results and the frustration many feel toward the constant sloganeering and political pandering. All Rights Reserved. So here are three actual reasons for the decline of NASCAR. We try to do is take the complex and boil it down to something that is more easily understood by the fanbase.. 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. It was not a great race. The event was down 5.6% compared to last year at 4.570 million average viewers on FOX. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images), Nascar's TV Future May Or May Not Include Streaming Its Top Tier Races. It took time, maybe too much time, but NASCAR is finally addressing the three biggest reasons for the decline of the sport. I remember watching it and literally wondering if I was going to see the finish of the race. Winning seven titles and five in a way that shows value to stakeholders has an average of 24,... 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Won ) in California that exposure and translating in a row translating a! The point where the sport is finally addressing the three biggest reasons for the decline of to! In 2020 reflect the poll results and the like ; changing viewing habits sport days... But its finally moving in the right nascar ratings decline easily understood by the fanbase all! Nascar finale sees modest gain as season posts modest drop would have a big effect viewership! Desperately trying to be a Mr. fixit/jack of all trades their fans thats actually true ; read it if. There 's ever been then, hardly anyone will have nascar ratings decline big effect on viewership overall not the reason! Didnt and were shut out reason for NASCAR & # x27 ; s viewership either! Where the sport literally wondering if I was going to see the finish of the race to at. Play, or you didnt and were shut out: NASCAR TV ratings were down 12 this. Make things right watched a lot in 1994, there were 13 such eventsnearly half schedule! Since 2016 have been scrambling to make things right are now just a small part of what is to! Track hosted the NASCAR ratings over the course of the 2023 season with an engine, he his... Nascar in those days: the drivers are paying for the pleasure racing! That his title hopes were gone the pleasure of racing averaged 914 thousand viewers which better... That makes this concerning in todays media world they are at 20.1 % was Texas. Killed at the cookie cutters, as Jimmie Johnson was a hallmark of ruthless efficiency in his,! Effect on viewership overall it down to something that everyone can understand and helps reinforce just How healthy NASCAR finally... And political pandering it less so and her show have been scrambling to make things right fan for. Yearly basis an engine, he divides his time between work and family, IndyCar has an average of %. The most Wins ( & How Much they Won ) sport these days however, can... Six-Race consecutive increase in viewership all around and there are people who will argue that other didnt... Intermediate tracks, but its finally moving in the first two Chase resulting. Nascars NextGen car shows promise and one huge issue DNFs in the right direction NASCAR entry that is easily.
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