FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, October 21st, 2019

NBC SPORTS’ NASCAR COVERAGE FROM KANSAS DELIVERS 20% VIEWERSHIP INCREASE; LARGEST SINCE CURRENT RIGHTS AGREEMENT BEGAN IN 2015

NASCAR Hollywood Casino 400 on NBC Averages Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 3.322 Million Viewers

Kansas is NBC Sports’ Fourth Race with Double-Digit Year-Over-Year Viewership Growth This Season

NBC Sports’ 2019 NASCAR Viewership Up 4% vs. 2018

STAMFORD, Conn. – October 21, 2019 – NBC Sports’ coverage of Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway on NBC averaged a Total Audience Delivery of 3.322 million viewers – up 20% vs. 2018 – delivering NBC Sports’ largest NASCAR year-over-year viewership increase since its current rights agreement began in 2015, according to Fast National data by the Nielsen Company and streaming data by Adobe Analytics.

The 20% year-over-year viewership increase for Sunday’s race on NBC also marks the largest viewership increase for a NASCAR Cup Series race in eight years*, when ESPN’s coverage of the 2011 Championship race at Homestead was up 21% vs 2010. It also marks NBC Sports’ fourth race with double-digit year-over-year viewership gains this season.

 

Date Event Network TAD (% Gain vs. ‘18)
July 21 New Hampshire NBCSN 2.827 million (+12%)
Aug. 11 Michigan NBCSN 2.929 million (+14%)
Sept. 15 Las Vegas NBCSN 2.412 million (+12%)^
Oct. 20 Kansas NBC 3.322 million (+20%)

 

TV-only viewership of Sunday’s race on NBC peaked with 4.108 million viewers from 5:30-5:45 p.m. ET, as Denny Hamlin held off Chase Elliott during overtime for his fifth win of the season as the Round of 8 was decided in the NASCAR Playoffs.

Sunday’s race on NBC (2:57-6 p.m. ET) stands as NBC Sports’ most-watched Cup Series race since last year’s Championship race at Homestead on NBC and NBCSN (4.180 million; 11/18/18) and its most-watched Kansas Cup Series race since 2016 (3.455 million; 10/16/16). On TV only, the race delivered a 2.03 HH rating and 3.304 million viewers, up 17% and 20%, respectively, vs. 2018.

Excluding this year’s weather-impacted races at Daytona and Talladega, NBC Sports’ 2019 NASCAR Cup Series coverage has averaged a TAD of 2.545 million viewers, up 4% vs. the comparable races in 2018 (2.457 million).

Additionally, Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race from Kansas on NBC (3:17-6 p.m. ET) averaged a TAD of 1.336 million viewers, up 3% vs. last year (1.296 million).

*excludes rain-impacted races and network changes
^moved from afternoon to night race

–NBC SPORTS–