NASCAR - Television Ratings Thread

Joker said:
Watching the Pacers-Celtics game right now. It's a horrific dumpster fire of a series so far, but NBA fans have fun and take the piss out of bad games rather than cry the sky is falling. Some NASCAR fans should do the same.
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maybe the beers are too expensive to throw -- at NBA games...
 
Spotter22 said:
Bothers you? What does that have to do with racing?
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It has to do with the health of the sport.

It is interesting that the Richmond night race’s 1.7 rating is tied as the lowest for a Cup Series race on broadcast television since at least 2000, matching last year’s fall Kansas race on NBC and people are mad at the writer at Sports Media Watch. The fall in the ratings has become so normal to everyone that they want to shoot the messenger instead of stopping to look at the why’s and how’s of where the sport is at this time. It seems that people would rather make excuses for where we are instead of looking at the sport’s warts and trying to figure out how to cut them off.

aunty dive said:
Nothing.

He is not here for that.
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See above. Hey, it is your world, right? :)

Spotter22 said:
Bothers you? What does that have to do with racing?
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Again, the heath of the sport.
 
Towmater said:
It has to do with the health of the sport.

It is interesting that the Richmond night race’s 1.7 rating is tied as the lowest for a Cup Series race on broadcast television since at least 2000, matching last year’s fall Kansas race on NBC and people are mad at the writer at Sports Media Watch. The fall in the ratings has become so normal to everyone that they want to shoot the messenger instead of stopping to look at the why’s and how’s of where the sport is at this time. It seems that people would rather make excuses for where we are instead of looking at the sport’s warts and trying to figure out how to cut them off.



See above. Hey, it is your world, right? :)



Again, the heath of the sport.
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Exactly what can the members of this forum do to pack the stands and boost the ratings? Can anyone on here call NASCAR and tell them how to fix things? What purpose is served by constantly dwelling on the negatives? My guess is, most people watch races to see a race, not scour around the Twitter feeds hoping to find empty seat pics to post. Instead of dwelling on the health of NASCAR, maybe look for a night spot somewhere. NASCAR is fine, with or without the naysayers. I can't imagine it's helpful to the sport when people say they're concerned about the sports health, at the same time claiming they never watch?. Something doesn't add up. There's a word for it, no need to cross the border and get deleted.
 
Towmater said:
It has to do with the health of the sport.

It is interesting that the Richmond night race’s 1.7 rating is tied as the lowest for a Cup Series race on broadcast television since at least 2000, matching last year’s fall Kansas race on NBC and people are mad at the writer at Sports Media Watch. The fall in the ratings has become so normal to everyone that they want to shoot the messenger instead of stopping to look at the why’s and how’s of where the sport is at this time. It seems that people would rather make excuses for where we are instead of looking at the sport’s warts and trying to figure out how to cut them off.



See above. Hey, it is your world, right? :)



Again, the heath of the sport.
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Thanks again there concerned fan about the "health" of the sport. We all know the sport isn't as popular as it once was, have for years. News people have stated it more eloquently and in depth than any poster such as yourself here parroting what was said by professionals who did the research in the first place. A person such as yourself who is concerned about the health of the sport would be remiss if they didn't include the whole picture of how the sport is either succeeding or failing and that always comes down to profit and loss. Total revenues of over 150 million are up from last year, dividends for stockholders are up this year. My advice would be to watch the races. It's pretty dumb when one of the better Bristol races in recent history happened and seat counters were stubbing their toes about a race they weren't attending. As far as ratings go, they rate low on the scale.
 
I just don't get this thread. NASCAR is beating playoff hockey in viewership, but no one thinks hockey is dying. NASCAR has younger fans than baseball or golf, but no one is thinks those sports are dying.

NASCAR was never going to unseat the NFL. It was a pipe dream and things regressed to the mean. There's a lot of other problems to bitch about (like the PlayoffsTM) that deserve it way more.
 
That's rich. I'm being given advice by someone about information derived from an annual report who attempted to use revenues as gross profits in a previous post. Something tells me that isn't a good idea.
 
mack said:
Exactly what can the members of this forum do to pack the stands and boost the ratings? Can anyone on here call NASCAR and tell them how to fix things? What purpose is served by constantly dwelling on the negatives? My guess is, most people watch races to see a race, not scour around the Twitter feeds hoping to find empty seat pics to post. Instead of dwelling on the health of NASCAR, maybe look for a night spot somewhere. NASCAR is fine, with or without the naysayers. I can't imagine it's helpful to the sport when people say they're concerned about the sports health, at the same time claiming they never watch?. Something doesn't add up. There's a word for it, no need to cross the border and get deleted.
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Again, it appears you are threatened by anyone who isn't an apologist (your term). BTW, using your logic we should be chatting about the next gen of race car, the possibility of schedule changes or whatever, After all, members of the forum can't effect NASCAR's decisions. Wait a minute...You might be on to something. NASCAR went down a path it wanted and ran off 1/2 the viewers over the last 10+ years.
 
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I Iiken this forum to a local bar where guys meet up a few nights a week to laugh, cut up, talk and have a good time. They all kinda sorta become buddies. May not always agree on everything, but for the most part they get along just fine. We come here to chat about our interest and hopefully the good things that are going on in life. But, there's always a couple of guys that can only add doom and gloom to the gathering. Never a positive thing to say, just all bad all the time. They hate that the other guys are all enjoying themselves. The doomers and gloomers lack the wit to carry on an informative conversation, so they chime in on others chats to hopefully drag the others down with their negativity. Eventually the happy crowd will ignore and avoid the naysayers. I'd rather be in the happy crowd. Misery loves company, if it can't find company, it will try to create it's own. Come on over to the sunny side, leave the darkside. You'll be happier....maybe.
 
Towmater said:
Again, it appears you are threatened by anyone who isn't an apologist (your term). BTW, using your logic we should be chatting about the next gen of race car, the possibility of schedule changes or whatever, After all, members of the forum can't effect NASCAR's decisions. Wait a minute...You might be on to something. NASCAR went down a path it wanted and ran off 1/2 the viewers over the last 10+ years.
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How do you know what "NASCAR did" ran off half of the viewers? How do you know its not changing demographics and the level of interest dropping off because the younger generation just isnt as interested in auto racing like we are anymore?
 
Joker said:
I just don't get this thread. NASCAR is beating playoff hockey in viewership, but no one thinks hockey is dying. NASCAR has younger fans than baseball or golf, but no one is thinks those sports are dying.

NASCAR was never going to unseat the NFL. It was a pipe dream and things regressed to the mean. There's a lot of other problems to bitch about (like the PlayoffsTM) that deserve it way more.
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Baseball skews younger than NASCAR from what I can tell. NASCAR, like golf, tends to have 20-25% of TV viewers concentrated in the 18-49 (if that is what we want to call young). Baseball more typically in the 30-35%, sometimes 40% range. And it's generally difficult to compare a sport with one field competing once per week on national TV to more traditional sports that have multiple national TV events per week or even night. What one game draws on national TV isn't usually indicative of the fan base as a whole.

That said, when NASCAR team owners readily admit that 70-75% of the budget still is funded by sponsorships, I think that's where concern over metrics like TV ratings and attendance comes from. If the Rays continue to draw 10k per game they can just move somewhere else - a race team can't do that. And if the Marlins lose a furniture outlet sponsor they're not going to fold entirely, as the revenue streams are vastly different.
 
According to the United Nations World Population Prospects report, approximately 7,452 people die every day in the United States. In other words, a person dies in the US approximately every 12 seconds.

Some of those people were Nascar fans and are unable to attend races.


In 2018, approximately 5.3 million passenger cars were sold to customers in the United States. Globally, car sales were projected to come to around 79 million units in 2018.

Not All car buyers are Nascar fans.
 
FLRacingFan said:
Baseball skews younger than NASCAR from what I can tell. NASCAR, like golf, tends to have 20-25% of TV viewers concentrated in the 18-49 (if that is what we want to call young). Baseball more typically in the 30-35%, sometimes 40% range. And it's generally difficult to compare a sport with one field competing once per week on national TV to more traditional sports that have multiple national TV events per week or even night. What one game draws on national TV isn't usually indicative of the fan base as a whole.

That said, when NASCAR team owners readily admit that 70-75% of the budget still is funded by sponsorships, I think that's where concern over metrics like TV ratings and attendance comes from. If the Rays continue to draw 10k per game they can just move somewhere else - a race team can't do that. And if the Marlins lose a furniture outlet sponsor they're not going to fold entirely, as the revenue streams are vastly different.
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Well FedEx and Mars certainly aren't losing money.
 
Towmater said:
NASCAR went down a path it wanted and ran off 1/2 the viewers over the last 10+ years.
+++++++++++++++++
It seems that people would rather make excuses for where we are instead of looking at the sport’s warts and trying to figure out how to cut them off.
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I, for one, ignore posts that compare the business of Nascar currently to 10+ years ago. There's nothing to learn there. If you were genuinely interested in where we are and why, the biggest 'wart' to cut would be to cut out the hoards of bandwagon fans that were merely following a cultural fad. These fad fans, fueled mainly by a lifestyle fantasy, bloated the numbers for a decade, starting in the mid-1990's up until circa 2005-07 and then tapered off. They were not earned as fans, nor were they sustainable. Comparisons to that period are completely apples to oranges... worthless.
 
Joker said:
I just don't get this thread. NASCAR is beating playoff hockey in viewership, but no one thinks hockey is dying.
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LOL. We used to have a hockey fanatic here that would punish you for this. But I guess he left the building...
 
Joker said:
Well FedEx and Mars certainly aren't losing money.
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Absolutely! Mars is a great fit for NASCAR and it's great they see it the same way. We could use more organizations like Mars involved with NASCAR. I have about a twenty-year age gap to my youngest sister and one of the two drivers she knows is Kyle Busch because he's the M&Ms guy. If there were more B2C sponsorships like that we'd all win.
 
FLRacingFan said:
Absolutely! Mars is a great fit for NASCAR and it's great they see it the same way. We could use more organizations like Mars involved with NASCAR. I have about a twenty-year age gap to my youngest sister and one of the two drivers she knows is Kyle Busch because he's the M&Ms guy. If there were more B2C sponsorships like that we'd all win.
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And I'm convinced that good racing will bring the fans back. And NASCAR has held up their end of that deal for a couple years now. The racing itself is heading in the right direction. It's all good in my trailerhood.
 
Spotter22 said:
How do you know what "NASCAR did" ran off half of the viewers? How do you know its not changing demographics and the level of interest dropping off because the younger generation just isnt as interested in auto racing like we are anymore?
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Something happened to the people that watched the sport. Noting the age of most NASCAR viewers maybe they died or did the changes in the sport run them off? Maybe a combination? I'd put money on NASCAR and all the fun changes they rolled out trying to capture those "new" viewers/fans though. Your mileage may differ and more than likely will.
 
LewTheShoe said:
I, for one, ignore posts that compare the business of Nascar currently to 10+ years ago. There's nothing to learn there. If you were genuinely interested in where we are and why, the biggest 'wart' to cut would be to cut out the hoards of bandwagon fans that were merely following a cultural fad. These fad fans, fueled mainly by a lifestyle fantasy, bloated the numbers for a decade, starting in the mid-1990's up until circa 2005-07 and then tapered off. They were not earned as fans, nor were they sustainable. Comparisons to that period are completely apples to oranges... worthless.
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Yet, the management of the sport chased after them. The new President stated he is interested in the fans the sport has and is trying to keep them. I find that refreshing after 10+ years of all the fun changes the old management kept rolling out on us.
 
Speaking as as an "Old Fan" I can see where age itself along with pension income
would eventually prevent fans from Going to the races. On the other hand, the cost of watching on TV is still possible with a small inconvenience. The real reason for not watching on TV is the fact that not everyone uses cable and F1 and the NBC equivalent are both Cable only channels.
Here in Canada TSN has the broadcast rights and via satellite it cost me $4. per month which gives me the Xfinity race and Cup. However this far from the border (above the 49th) I have no way of getting the Truck races. My question to you is how many people in the USA alone just can't cover the extra costs to get it on TV
Another point is that the coverage of the races since FS1 started is that everything is being hyped
to the point that it no longer is entertainment but feels like it is being crammed down out throats as if to say we are to stupid to know what we like or should like.
Just listen to every time Junior talks, he is a slow talker and many many many fans like his style. Yet on race broadcast e sounds like a little girl imitating Burton. You can bet your last dollar he is being scripted on how to broadcast so it isn't Junior at all.
 
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The race pulled a 2.8 overnight. Flat with last year - no gain or loss. That's a win for NASCAR.

 
Spotter22 said:
Pretty damn good. Beat everything but NBA playoff and NFL draft round 1
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It actually beat Bucks-C's which surprised me. Then again Milwaukee gets no attention from the national media even with the likely MVP...
 
God, as a five sport fan, this week has been hell. Trying to keep up with everything is making my head spin...
 
Updated year-to-year viewership comparisons for this point of the season:
Cup up about 5.75%
Xfinity down 19%

To be fair, the Talladega Xfinity race was on Fox last year and FS1 this year and that cost it virtually half of its viewership, which caused the percentage to move sharply.
 
Folks can say what they want. Looks to me like the interest in MLB is down also, https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2019/04/30/mlb-attendance-first-month/3626164002/ . I'm convinced NASCAR is doing all they can to improve the product, the on track product is good from my vantage point. The game of baseball is virtually unchanged for the past 100 years, people in some markets are staying away. NASCAR has made numerous changes, and some markets fans show up, in some they don't. I know of no one that can solve that mystery. NASCAR can take what they get and hopefully build on it.
 
mack said:
Folks can say what they want. Looks to me like the interest in MLB is down also, https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2019/04/30/mlb-attendance-first-month/3626164002/ . I'm convinced NASCAR is doing all they can to improve the product, the on track product is good from my vantage point. The game of baseball is virtually unchanged for the past 100 years, people in some markets are staying away. NASCAR has made numerous changes, and some markets fans show up, in some they don't. I know of no one that can solve that mystery. NASCAR can take what they get and hopefully build on it.
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As an early 20 something, I can definitely say baseball is not seen as 'cool'. Pretty much all my baseball chats are with men my dad's age.
 
The unusual trend of NASCAR faring better in the overnights than the final ratings continues here. It used to be the other way around, and numbers would typically rise in the finals.

 
I wasn't aware of this until someone pointed it out on reddit, but Talladega is the fifth most-watched race of the year thus far. In 2018 the spring 'Dega race ranked third for the whole season, and more generally it's usually in the top five for the year. I think that lends credence to the idea that at least for the early intermediate races like Las Vegas and Fontana there was a 'package hype' factor boosting the ratings to an extent, but I'm not sure how that trend will hold up.
 
FLRacingFan said:
I wasn't aware of this until someone pointed it out on reddit, but Talladega is the fifth most-watched race of the year thus far. In 2018 the spring 'Dega race ranked third for the whole season, and more generally it's usually in the top five for the year. I think that lends credence to the idea that at least for the early intermediate races like Las Vegas and Fontana there was a 'package hype' factor boosting the ratings to an extent, but I'm not sure how that trend will hold up.
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Interesting. Yeah, it's all about how the ratings hold up over the course of the season, not a bump for one or two races. Meanwhile, Talladega looks like a race fading on TV terms but thriving as a live attendance event compared to much of the rest of the schedule.
 
Towmater said:
The race pulled a 2.8 overnight. Flat with last year - no gain or loss. That's a win for NASCAR.

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gnomesayin said:
The unusual trend of NASCAR faring better in the overnights than the final ratings continues here. It used to be the other way around, and numbers would typically rise in the finals.

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Second race in a row the top market has been the market in which the race was held. Not a problem at Talladega, but in the case of Richmond why are people in the area more eager to turn the race on on TV but not show up at the track?
 
Fox needs to completely cover up the races with commercials at Richmond like they do at Talladega? That will flush em out.;)
 
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