Since the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Chase opener was rained out at Chicagoland, Sunday’s New Hampshire race marked the first real test of two new moves: A later start time and ESPN’s new NASCAR NonStop.
Boom! ESPN NASCAR TV Ratings Up Sharply For Chase Race At New Hampshire
Apparently, one or both of those changes worked quite well.
ESPN reported its ratings for New Hampshire were up 19 percent over last year’s New Hampshire race – a 3.1 rating this year compared to a 2.6 rating in 2010. An estimated 558,000 more viewers tuned in for this season’s New Hampshire race versus last year.
And there was more good news, too.
The Nielsen Company found a 28 percent rise in the key 18-to-34-year-old male demographic, a 20 percent increase in males aged 18-49 and a growth of 33 percent in viewers aged 55 or older.
One interesting note: Though it seemed like the NASCAR NonStop made for even more commercial breaks, that wasn’t the case.
ESPN actually had four fewer minutes of commercials than in last year’s New Hampshire race, and went to two less commercial breaks overall.
The ratings for ESPN’s portion of the season so far (not including the three rainouts) are up 2 percent over last year. That includes the Bristol race, which was pre-empted for NFL preseason games in some areas.
The exact cause of the ratings increase for New Hampshire is uncertain. Was it starting the race at 2 p.m. Eastern instead of 1 p.m.? Was it the NASCAR NonStop feature, which keeps the race in a window while commercials are being shown? Or was it some combination of factors?
We’re interested to hear your theories.
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