The increase is partly down to a rise in the number of broadcasts and WRC’s reach has also developed, resulting in a 158 per cent increase in the total number of hours of coverage since 2002.
Other findings announced by International Sportsworld Communicators Ltd. (ISC), the global media and commercial rights holder for WRC, are:
The total number of dedicated WRC broadcasts has increased by almost 27 per cent during the last year.
The introduction of Rally World in 2005, a new rally magazine programme, contributed to a 31 per cent increase in the average number of broadcasts per rally since April 2005.
Coverage in Japan saw a 36.4 per cent increase from 17.1 million viewers in 2004 to 23.3 million by the end of 2005 as TV coverage increased on existing networks.
Other key TV markets also saw a rise in audience viewing figures since 2004 with Spain boasting a 34.8 per cent increase as a result of new programming on existing networks and France improving by 18.5 per cent as a result of increased programming on France 2 and M6.
Figures in Scandinavian TV markets showed similar increases during 2005, as a result of additional programming and consistent broadcast schedules. Norway’s audience figures increased by more than 50 per cent, Sweden’s by 10 per cent, Finland’s by 1.5 per cent and Denmark’s increased by more than 100 per cent.
WRC’s official website, www.wrc.com, has seen a 25 per cent increase in average monthly visitors from 323,728 in 2004 to 403,027 in 2005, peaking at 590,000 during Wales Rally GB.
