FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, October 16th, 2014

NBC SPORTS GROUP’S FORMULA ONE™ COVERAGE SETS NUMEROUS VIEWERSHIP MILESTONES THIS SEASON

NBCSN F1 Coverage Up 93% & On Pace for Best-Ever F1 Season for a Cable Network

NBCSN/CNBC F1 Cable Coverage Up 86%

NBC/NBCSN/CNBC Coverage Up 46%

NBC Presents Live Coverage of United States Grand Prix on Sunday, Nov. 2, at 2 p.m. ET

STAMFORD, Conn. – Oct. 16, 2014 – With three races remaining in the 2014 Formula One™ Season, including NBC’s presentation of the U.S. Grand Prix on Sunday, Nov. 2, NBC Sports Group’s coverage of the first 16 races has set numerous viewership milestones across NBC, NBCSN and CNBC, according to The Nielsen Company.

NBCSN has averaged 377,000 viewers for its first 11 races, up 93% vs. last year (195,000) and on-pace for the best-ever F1 season for a cable network (since 2002). Viewership is also up 39% vs. SPEED’s F1 coverage in 2012 (271,000).

Of the nine races that aired on NBCSN in both 2013 and 2014, five boasted triple-digit gains in viewership this season, including the Bahrain Grand Prix (April 6), which stands as NBCSN’s most-watched F1 race to date, averaging 594,000 viewers, up 197% from 2013 (200,000).

NBCSN’s presentation of the Russian Grand Prix this past Sunday (6:30-8:45 a.m. ET) averaged 402,000 viewers, the seventh of 11 races on NBCSN to exceed 400,000 viewers this year.

Following is a comparison of the nine F1 races that aired on NBCSN during both the 2013 and 2014 seasons: NOTE: Due to the global nature of F1, many races begin prior to 8 a.m. ET.

NBCSN Race

Start Time (ET)

2014 Viewership 2013 Viewership

% Difference

Australian Grand Prix

1:30 a.m. 248,000 124,000 +100%

Malaysian Grand Prix

3:30 a.m. 248,000 121,000 +105%

Bahrain Grand Prix

10:30 a.m. 594,000 200,000 +197%
Chinese Grand Prix 2:30 a.m. 301,000 111,000

+171%

Spanish Grand Prix 7:30 a.m. 455,000 227,000

+100%

Belgian Grand Prix 7:30 a.m. 435,000 256,000

+70%

Italian Grand Prix

7:30 a.m. 410,000 245,000 +67%
Singapore Grand Prix 7:30 a.m. 406,000 257,000

+58%

Japanese Grand Prix 1:30 a.m. 242,000 162,000

+49%

Combined, NBCSN and CNBC (three races) are averaging 348,000 viewers through 14 races, up 86% vs. 2013 (187,000), and up 29% vs. SPEED in 2012 (271,000).

NBC Sports Group’s overall F1 coverage (NBC/NBCSN/CNBC) has averaged 452,000 viewers through 16 races, up 49% vs. 2013 (304,000). Viewership is strengthened by NBC’s presentation of the Canadian Grand Prix (June 8), which averaged 1.462 million viewers to rank as the most-watched F1 race in seven years (2007 Canadian Grand Prix, FOX, 1.494 million), and the most-watched F1 race for NBC Sports Group since it acquired exclusive Formula One rights prior to the 2013 season.

 

NBC PRESENTS LIVE COVERAGE OF F1 UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX ON SUNDAY, NOV. 2 AT 2 P.M. ET

NBC will present live comprehensive coverage of the F1 United States Grand Prix on Sunday, Nov. 2 at 2 p.m. ET. NBC Sports Group’s F1 broadcast team of Leigh Diffey (play-by-play), David Hobbs (analyst), Steve Matchett (analyst), and Will Buxton (pit reporter), will be on-site at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, to provide commentary. Programming details on the upcoming F1 United States Grand Prix weekend on NBC will be released soon.

 

–NBC SPORTS GROUP–