STAMFORD, Conn. – September 19, 2018 – NBC Sports’ coverage of the IndyCar Grand Prix of Sonoma championship race on Sunday evening produced a Total Audience Delivery of 638,000 average viewers to tie as the fourth most-watched live IndyCar race on NBCSN in nine years, according to data provided by The Nielsen Company and Adobe Analytics.
Sunday’s viewership of the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series finale on NBCSN (7:08-8:57 p.m. ET) was up 19% vs. last year’s race (536,000) to tie as NBCSN’s fourth most-watched race out of more than 100 live races on the network since acquiring IndyCar rights prior to the 2009 season (tied with Pocono; 2015).
Sunday’s Grand Prix of Sonoma is the most-watched live race on NBCSN since Mid-Ohio* in 2016 (811,000). Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing) won his fifth career championship, ranking second only behind A.J. Foyt (7) for the most IndyCar championships in history.
Including IndyCar live look-in coverage that took place during a NASCAR red flag from 6:46-6:54 p.m. ET, the Total Audience Delivery for the race swells to 764,000 average viewers on NBCSN.
NBC SPORTS’ MOST-WATCHED LIVE INDYCAR RACES | ||
RACE | DATE | TAD |
Mid-Ohio | 7/31/2016 | 934,000* |
Sonoma | 8/30/2015 | 846,000 |
Edmonton | 7/24/2011 | 642,000 |
Sonoma | 9/16/2018 | 638,000 |
Pocono | 8/23/2015 | 638,000 |
Pocono | 8/20/2017 | 624,000 |
* The July 31, 2016 Mid-Ohio race was simulcast on NBCSN and CNBC
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NBC SPORTS BECOMES EXCLUSIVE HOME OF VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES BEGINNING IN 2019
On March 21, NBC Sports and IndyCar announced a new, multi-year media rights agreement in which NBC Sports acquired the rights to present all IndyCar races, qualifying, practices, and Indy Lights races across its platforms beginning in 2019.
The Indianapolis 500 and seven additional Verizon IndyCar Series races will be broadcast annually on NBC, with all remaining races televised on NBCSN. All races will be live streamed to authenticated subscribers on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app. Details of NBC Sports’ 2019 INDYCAR schedule will be announced at a later date.
NBC Sports Gold – NBC Sports Group’s direct-to-consumer product – will offer a package to INDYCAR fans that features all qualifying and practices not televised live, all Indy Lights races, and full-event replays. Additional details, including the cost of the Gold offering, will be announced at a later date. Click here for more information.