2014By Ken Fang on

The season is over and as NBCSN and ESPN are crunching the numbers, they’re seeing increased ratings for the 2014 season.

NBCSN saw its best numbers for IndyCar in three seasons averaging 378,000 viewers for 12 races. That’s up a huge 34% from the previous year when NBCSN garnered 282,000 for a 13 race season in 2013. And it’s the best since 2011 when the network (then known as Versus) had its best average of 402,000 viewers.

ABC carried five races in 2014 and it saw a double digit increase from last year as well. The network had an average of 2.4 million viewers, up 14% as compared to 2013.

So does this mean that IndyCar is breaking through? Well, it’s encouraging, but when you compare it to NASCAR, it still has a way to go. Just for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race last week in Atlanta, ESPN received an average of 5.2 million viewers.

But for IndyCar, any increase has to be seen as good news. While its season finale did finish down (and began at 10 p.m. in the East), the sport has some momentum going into 2015.

[Sports Media Watch]

About Ken Fang

Ken has been covering the sports media in earnest at his own site, Fang's Bites since May 2007 and at Awful Announcing since March 2013.

He provides a unique perspective having been an award-winning radio news reporter in Providence and having worked in local television.

Fang celebrates the four Boston Red Sox World Championships in the 21st Century, but continues to be a long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan.

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