The Nielsen Media Research numbers showed that 349,000 TV households nationwide tuned in to Indianapolis 500 qualifications
bump day on Sunday afternoon (May 17) on Versus cable channel. On Saturday (May 16), 285,000 TV households nationally tuned
in to Indy 500 qualifications.
That compares to 385,000 TV households that tuned in to Pole Day qualifications on May 9. The Indy 500 qualifications TV ratings have outshined two of the first three Indy Racing League races in terms of viewer numbers. The season opener at St. Petersburg was watched by 233,000 households nationwide, while 171,000 TV households tuned into the Kansas race. Only Long Beach (388,864) fared better than the Indy 500 qualifications shows.
In Indianapolis, the second weekend of qualifications earned solid ratings, with a 2.33 rating being tabulated for Saturday’s (May 16) telecast, and a 2.48 registered for Sunday (May 17). In the Indianapolis metro area, each rating point equals 10,720 households, which means about 24,978 tuned in on Saturday and 26,586 watched Sunday.
“That’s not all that bad. It’s not a gangbuster rating. A good basketball game would get a 6.0 or even an 8.0,” said Bill Perkins, a longtime Indianapolis media buyer and president of Perkins Nichols Media. “But for the second weekend of qualifications on cable, that’s not bad at all.”
The open-wheel events at the Brickyard are still proving to be a solid attraction for the central Indiana market. The second weekend of qualifications for the Indianapolis 500 scored a better TV rating locally than two of three network sports shows on Sunday afternoon. The Rockets-Lakers NBA playoff game on ABC scored a 5.2 rating, the Texas Open PGA tournament registered a 1.7 on CBS and the National Hockey League playoff game on NBC notched a 1.3 rating.
Perkins said the numbers are even better when considering overall TV viewership numbers.
“Everything in the May book is down 10 percent,” Perkins said. “All of television is down.”
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Do we have numbers of what qualifications pulled in last year on ESPN? Also, those numbers do not seem bad since it was over a 6.5 hour show. If I remember correctly ESPN nor ABC ever broadcast all of the qualifications. It will be interesting to see if Vs. gets carry over on its next race.
Anyone who missed the last 3 hours of bump day missed some of the most dramatic moments in racing in a long time. Nothing like the raw emotion of those drivers trying to make the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
Hard to tell too much from a 6.5 hour average.
I already posted them in another thread here.
Here are the 2008 ratings:
05.10.08 Pole Day 12-2PM ESPN2 Rating: 0.47
05.10.08 Pole Day 3-6PM ABC Rating: 0.9 1,329,000 viewers
05.10.08 Pole Day (Wrap Up) 6-7PM ESPN2 Rating: 0.12
05.11.08 Indy Second Day Time Trials ESPN2 Rating: 0.30
05.18.08 Bump Day ABC Rating: 1.1 1,278,000 households 1,460,000 viewers
05.25.08 Indy 500 Pre-Race ABC Rating: 2.2 2,505,000 households 3,159,000 viewers
05.10.08 Indy 500 Race ABC Rating: 4.6 5,167,00 households 7,245,000 viewers
Pretty crushing drop from the network. Bfd though, nothing will stop this fraud from continuing as long as there are idiots in line to get a slice of effin TG's inheritance.
Again, the key is does the new expanded programming pull in viewers and fans over the long haul. That remains to be seen.
thanks for playin! :D
Try this one on as you watch the race. If cart was so successful, and such a great business model, then why did the loss of one big race fold the whole series multiple times in less than 15 years?
I have the same opinion as yours on this. What you said is true....