Over the years, NASCAR has experienced a noticeable downward trend in both viewership and television ratings. There could be numerous factors contributing to this decline, but the most significant concern arose during the 2023 season, as the viewership statistics from Fox’s portion of the coverage were revealed.
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The data showed a reduction compared to the previous year, and a substantial part of this drop was attributed to Fox’s approach to sports coverage. Nevertheless, in the midst of these dwindling numbers, an unexpected turn of events emerged when looking at the data from the earlier part of the 2023 campaign.
Disturbing indicators surface, casting a shadow over NASCAR
Once the race at Sonoma concluded, Fox wrapped up its broadcast duties for the 2023 NASCAR season. Going forward, the responsibility of broadcasting the rest of the season falls to NBC. However, recently, journalist Adam Stern shared some alarming statistics related to Fox Sports’ coverage of the season thus far.
.@FoxSports finished its portion of the 2023 @NASCAR Cup Series schedule with an average of 3.315 million viewers per event, down 10% from 2022.
🔲 NASCAR was the No. 1 or No. 2 sport of the weekend on U.S. TV nine times for the first half this year, one better than last season. pic.twitter.com/CxjrDpHkW1
— Adam Stern (@A_S12) June 17, 2023
Journalist Adam Stern mentioned, “@FoxSports finished its portion of the 2023 @NASCAR Cup Series schedule with an average of 3.315 million viewers per event, down 10% from 2022. NASCAR was the No. 1 or No. 2 sport of the weekend on U.S. TV nine times for the first half this year, one better than last season.”
Intriguingly, the early stages of the season managed to attract more viewers compared to the previous season’s coverage. The fact that NASCAR ranked as #1 or #2 on TV so far this season which is higher than last year is also a big positive.
However, the viewership numbers being down could be a worrying sign, leaving everyone to question: where did Fox’s broadcasting strategy falter after such a promising start to NASCAR’s 75th year?
Why have the ratings been dropping for NASCAR’s coverage under Fox?
The 75th anniversary season of NASCAR began with much anticipation, but quickly encountered criticism, primarily targeting Fox’s broadcast approach. The season-opening Daytona 500, typically the most-viewed race, earned the unfortunate nickname ‘Commercial 500,’ reflecting viewer discontent with numerous advertising interruptions.
Further compounding the issue was the inconsistency in Fox’s commentary team following Jeff Gordon’s departure, leading to an apparent lack of broadcast chemistry. Moreover, the broadcast’s slow camera switches often failed to capture crucial on-track moments in real-time, leaving viewers waiting and diminishing the overall experience.
The subsequent dip in TV viewership might be because of a host of factors. However, Fox’s shaky broadcast start hardly seems to be helping in retaining viewership numbers.
However, from now on, the rest of the season should hopefully improve in quality, considering it is NBC taking over the broadcasting primarily for the Cup Series races, and their coverage is generally perceived well compared to Fox’s coverage.
