Television audiences in the UK for the first three races of this year’s Formula One season have increased by nearly 90 per cent, a big coup for the BBC which is covering the sport for the first time since 1996.
According to analysis by TV Sports Markets, this year’s opening Australian grand prix in Melbourne achieved an average audience of just over 2.5 million for the BBC for the race itself. The audience was over two and a half times that brought in by ITV for the season opener last season, which attracted an average of just under a million viewers.
Audience increases are partly due to Formula One Management’s decision to start the Australian and Malaysian grands prix in a later timeslot for the benefit of European audiences. This year the Australian race started at 7.00am UK time (compared to 5.30am in 2008) and the Malaysian 10.00am (8.00am in 2008).
The BBC will be celebrating and expecting to continue the impressive viewing figures throughout the rest of the season, especially given the exploits of British driver Jensen Button and defending champion Lewis Hamilton. The BBC won the rights for Formula One after ITV and Bernie Ecclestone decided to terminate their contract last year.
For more information, see the next issue of TV Sports Markets.
TV Sports Markets provides comprehensive coverage of UK sports ratings in its highly acclaimed fortnightly newsletter, which follows the business of televised sport around the world. To learn more about TV Sports Markets, visit www.tvsportsmarkets.com, or for bespoke research, please contact Ben Speight (ben@tvsportsmarkets.com).
