The decision to put NASCAR’s Chase races on ESPN instead of ABC this year drew criticism from some fans and media (including SB Nation) in part because it seemed to have a negative impact on ratings.
Were NASCAR TV Ratings Down Because Fans Cut Cable? ESPN Study Suggests Otherwise
↵For many Chase races on ESPN, 20-25 percent fewer viewers tuned in compared to last year. Since the racing was fairly exciting and the Chase battle was tight, people theorized the lack of NASCAR fans with cable were the reason to blame.
↵The theory held that many NASCAR fans are middle class and may have been put in a situation where they had to make a tough decision on whether to keep their cable TV or high-speed Internet (ESPN said before the season that the cable network is in 16 million fewer homes than ABC).
↵But a new ESPN study released Monday suggests that people are not “cutting the cord” on their cable all that often.
↵Though the economy is down, the study showed only 0.28 percent of households cut their cable or satellite TV package while keeping their high-speed Internet. And combined with households who are adding TV packages, the net loss is just 0.11 percent.
↵In addition, the New York Times cited a separate study showing only 119,000 customers cut their cable in the third quarter of 2010 (out of roughly 100 million subscriptions nationwide).
↵These numbers seem to indicate that whatever the number of people cutting their cable in tough times, it’s not enough to have any sort of dramatic impact on TV ratings.
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