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IndyCar's season-opening Grand Prix of St. Petersburg drew 1.4 million viewers on Fox on Sunday, the same figure that watched the season-opening race last year.
The race, which three-time defending IndyCar champion Alex Palou won by over 12 seconds, peaked at 1.6 million viewers, per Nielsen Media Research. That peak amount was slightly lower than last year's race in St. Petersburg, which topped out at more than 1.8 million viewers.
After becoming a network partner last year, Fox Corporation purchased a one-third stake in Penske Entertainment, IndyCar's parent company, last July. Fox's purchase of a stake in IndyCar has elevated its involvement and promotion of the series.
Fox released four preseason commercials with Josef Newgarden, Pato O'Ward, Will Power and Palou, which aired during the NFL playoffs, Daytona 500 and other Fox programming. O'Ward and Palou were also guests on First Things First, an FS1 sports talk show, last week ahead of the season opener.
Last year's 17-race schedule on Fox averaged 1.362 million viewers on Fox, making the viewership from St. Petersburg a tad higher. Fox, unlike NBC — which was IndyCar's sole rightsholder from 2018 to 2024 — airs all IndyCar races on its network channel.
Instead of going on its typical weeks-long break following the season opener, IndyCar follows St. Petersburg with two races, the Good Ranchers 250 in Avondale, Arizona, on Saturday, and the Grand Prix of Arlington in Arlington, Texas, on March 15.
The Good Ranchers 250 will be IndyCar's return to Phoenix Raceway for the first time since 2018, and the Grand Prix of Arlington, a street race that will weave through the Dallas Cowboys' AT&T Stadium and the Texas Rangers' Globe Life Field, is a new race added to the schedule. Both races have no prior broadcast history on Fox, making their TV ratings intriguing to watch.
How fans react to IndyCar's three new races (Arlington, Markham, Ontario and Washington, D.C.) and jampacked March schedule will show just how impactful Fox's promotion of the series is this year. For now, we know a similar number of fans were ready to see the season begin in St. Petersburg yet again.
Zion Brown is IndyStar's motorsports reporter. Follow him at @z10nbr0wn. Get IndyStar's motor sports coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Motor Sports newsletter. Subscribe to theYouTube channel IndyStar TV: IndyCar for a behind-the-scenes look at IndyCar and expert analysis.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IndyCar TV ratings: How season opener rated in 2nd year of Fox deal
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The race, which three-time defending IndyCar champion Alex Palou won by over 12 seconds, peaked at 1.6 million viewers, per Nielsen Media Research. That peak amount was slightly lower than last year's race in St. Petersburg, which topped out at more than 1.8 million viewers.
After becoming a network partner last year, Fox Corporation purchased a one-third stake in Penske Entertainment, IndyCar's parent company, last July. Fox's purchase of a stake in IndyCar has elevated its involvement and promotion of the series.
Fox released four preseason commercials with Josef Newgarden, Pato O'Ward, Will Power and Palou, which aired during the NFL playoffs, Daytona 500 and other Fox programming. O'Ward and Palou were also guests on First Things First, an FS1 sports talk show, last week ahead of the season opener.
Last year's 17-race schedule on Fox averaged 1.362 million viewers on Fox, making the viewership from St. Petersburg a tad higher. Fox, unlike NBC — which was IndyCar's sole rightsholder from 2018 to 2024 — airs all IndyCar races on its network channel.
Instead of going on its typical weeks-long break following the season opener, IndyCar follows St. Petersburg with two races, the Good Ranchers 250 in Avondale, Arizona, on Saturday, and the Grand Prix of Arlington in Arlington, Texas, on March 15.
The Good Ranchers 250 will be IndyCar's return to Phoenix Raceway for the first time since 2018, and the Grand Prix of Arlington, a street race that will weave through the Dallas Cowboys' AT&T Stadium and the Texas Rangers' Globe Life Field, is a new race added to the schedule. Both races have no prior broadcast history on Fox, making their TV ratings intriguing to watch.
How fans react to IndyCar's three new races (Arlington, Markham, Ontario and Washington, D.C.) and jampacked March schedule will show just how impactful Fox's promotion of the series is this year. For now, we know a similar number of fans were ready to see the season begin in St. Petersburg yet again.
Zion Brown is IndyStar's motorsports reporter. Follow him at @z10nbr0wn. Get IndyStar's motor sports coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Motor Sports newsletter. Subscribe to theYouTube channel IndyStar TV: IndyCar for a behind-the-scenes look at IndyCar and expert analysis.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IndyCar TV ratings: How season opener rated in 2nd year of Fox deal
Continue reading...
