The Indianapolis 500 was synonymous with ABC for decades, having aired there since the first live race broadcast 1986. The 2019 edition, though, was the first on NBC, and while ratings aren’t everything, the early returns have to be encouraging for the new network home.
Yesterday’s #Indy500, the first-ever on NBC, delivered a 3.86 overnight rating, up 15% vs. 2018 (3.35 on ABC) and the best in three years.
— NBC Sports PR (@NBCSportsPR) May 27, 2019
As you’d expect for a lengthy race, the audience was largest for the finish, which featured a tense ending:
The overnight rating for yesterday’s #Indy500 peaked in the final quarter-hour at 4.56 when Simon Pagenaud outdueled Alexander Rossi to take the checkered flag.
— NBC Sports PR (@NBCSportsPR) May 27, 2019
The 3.86 overnight for yesterday’s #Indy500 was the highest overnight for a Sunday afternoon sports event on NBC in more than four months (Jan. 6, NFL Wild Card, 22.9). It was also the highest overnight for any sports event of the day.
— NBC Sports PR (@NBCSportsPR) May 27, 2019
The final numbers will be interesting, especially once the various streaming data is taken into acccount.
The 3.86 overnight rating for the #Indy500 does not include digital consumption. Final viewership, including digital, is expected later today.
— NBC Sports PR (@NBCSportsPR) May 27, 2019
The Indy 500 is an event that fits in nicely with NBC’s wider rights packages, and it’s an event that might have needed a change of scenery. Whether it can ever be a true must-watch sporting event again remains to be seen, but those are growing more rare as it is anyway, given the constant competition for attention.
About Jay Rigdon
Jay is a columnist at Awful Announcing. He is not a strong swimmer. He is probably talking to a dog in a silly voice at this very moment.