Skip to content
Link copied to clipboard

Bill Fleischman: Drop in NASCAR viewership is puzzling

WITH THE DAYTONA 500 only about a month away, NASCAR teams are intensely preparing for the new season. Television executives also are preparing their networks' coverage. TV officials aren't stressing over a need for speed, though; they are trying to figure out how to get viewers back watching Sprint Cup races.

WITH THE DAYTONA 500 only about a month away, NASCAR teams are intensely preparing for the new season.

Television executives also are preparing their networks' coverage. TV officials aren't stressing over a need for speed, though; they are trying to figure out how to get viewers back watching Sprint Cup races.

Ratings for last season's 10-race season-ending Chase for the Champioship were off 23 percent from the previous year. The Chase averaged a 2.7 rating on ESPN/ABC, compared with 3.5 on ABC in 2009 (one rating point equals 1.1 million households).

There is a theory that moving the Chase from ABC to ESPN hurt the ratings. Over-the-air networks like ABC are in 116 million households whereas ESPN reaches nearly 100 million homes. With the nation's economic troubles, some racing fans surely dropped their cable or satellite service. However, an ESPN study released last month showed that such "cord cutting" is minimal.

"We really don't believe the move from ABC to ESPN is much of a factor," said Julie Sobieski, ESPN's vice president for programming and acquisitions. "The [racing] competition is as good as it's been. The ratings for NASCAR have been on the decline now for several years across the [network] partners. It takes time to turn trends around."

Sobieski said ESPN is encouraged, because "the time spent viewing [Chase races] was up double digits."

Hunter Nickell, president of Speed Channel, said ratings for NASCAR shows on Speed are "largely a good story." But Nickell says there has been an "erosion" in viewing by men ages 18 to 34.

"We have to best position the unique [strengths] of the sport," Nickell said. "Cup races are unlike anything else. [They] dwarf every other kind of auto-racing coverage domestically. People who go to races get it."

What puzzles many observers is, if fans hurt by the economy cannot afford to attend races, they should be home watching on TV. As Sobieski said, the competition has been first-rate. Denny Hamlin gave Jimmie Johnson all he could handle before Johnson extended his reign to 5 years in a row, edging Hamlin by 39 points.

If fans who used to attend races aren't watching, then the inference is they don't find the races interesting. There is a sense that new fans drawn to NASCAR in the past decade, when the sport boomed, were along for a temporary ride.

"The people that jumped on the sport were not real race fans," said Keith Younge, a longtime NASCAR fan from Philadelphia. "I remember going to races, looking around and thinking 'These people are just here because this is the next big thing.' Those people have now jumped on MMA."

"Johnson fatigue" also is suspected as a factor in declining TV ratings. As I've written, Johnson's five consecutive titles are a remarkable achievement. But the failure of challengers to end his domination has drained some drama from the sport.

The ratings probably would rebound if someone dethroned Johnson or some compelling new racers arrived in the Cup series. Danica Patrick keeps surfacing, but I doubt she'll ever leave the IndyCar Series and move full time to Cup racing.

Some fans still detest the Chase format. They regard it as the biggest evil since $3-per-gallon gas. I've heard fans complain that TV coverage of the Chase focuses too much on a few drivers. If you're not a fan of the chosen Chasers, you lose interest.

Then there is the "Junior factor." If Dale Earnhardt Jr. ever regains his racing touch and qualifies for the Chase, he'll spark interest, even though some of his fans have drifted away.

The good news is, many racetracks are offering more fan-friendly programs. For example, Dover International Speedway in Delaware is expanding its kids zone.

"We want to have more activities for kids," said Denis McGlynn, president and CEO of Dover Motorsports. "We want to make going to a NASCAR race a happening for kids."

McGlynn and other track presidents know they must develop new generations of fans. McGlynn is convinced that ticket prices alone aren't discouraging fans from attending races, citing high hotel and other travel costs as other reasons.

While NASCAR has made some improvements that fans endorse, such as double-file restarts and green-white-checkered-flag finishes, McGlynn agrees with Sobieski that "it's like turning a barge" to win back some fans.

"What most disturbs me about the TV ratings is," he said, "is it an indication that fans are less embracing of the sport than they used to?"

Food for thought as the new season approaches.

Changes on horizon

The starting lineup for both Sprint Cup races at Pocono Raceway this year will be determined via qualifying Saturday instead of Friday, track officials announced. "Our fans will enjoy a full day of racing action as Sprint Cup qualifying joins an already exciting Saturday schedule at Pocono Raceway," track president Brandon Igdalsky said . . . Meanwhile the Associated Press reports that NASCAR is considering changing and simplifying its points system, giving 43 points to a race winner and one point fewer for each subsequent driver, down to one point for last place. Any other changes, the report said, would not involve changes to the Chase for the Championship. *

Send e-mail to fleiscb@phillynews.com.