2005 YTD NEXTEL Cup Highlights
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series
I. The NNCS is the #2 rated regular-season sport on TV
§ The 2004 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series earned a 5.6 average network rating (+4% vs. 2003) and a 4.3 average cable rating (unchanged vs. 2003), higher than respective ratings for the MLB, PGA, NBA, and NHL.
§ Only the NFL averaged a higher network rating for its 2004 regular season (10.1).
II. 2005 NNCS Ratings and Viewership are up
§ The NNCS has earned a 7.1 avergae network rating in 2995 YTD, up +8% over 2004 (6.6 rating).
§ An average of 7.7 million households (+8%) and 11.5 million viewers (+8%) have tuned in to each 2005 event.
III. NNCS events have been the #1 sporting event on television 3 out of 6 weekends in 2005
IV. 2005 Viewership is up in Several Major Markets and Demographic groups
§ 9 of the top 10 U.S. markets have experienced growth in NNCS YTD ratings, including San Francisco (+46%), Atlanta (+35%), Dallas (+24%), Boston (+19%), New York (+17%), Philadelphia (+11%), Washington, D.C. (+8%), Detroit (+8%), and Chicago (+7%).
§ The top 5 largest NNCS markets YTD are Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Chicago.
§ NNCS viewership has increased among key demographic groups in 2005: males 18-49 (+4%), females 18-24 (+6%), and females 18-49 (+4%).
V. 2005 Event Highlights
§ Race 1: Daytona 500 on FOX
o Tied 2002 event for the highest rated Daytona 500 in history (10.9 rating)
o More households tuned in to 2005 Daytona 500 than any other NNCS event in history
o #1 sporting event of the weekend
§ Race 2: Auto Club 500 at California on FOX
o Second highest rated non-Daytona 500 NNCS event in broadcast history (7.9 rating), trailing only the 2001 rain-delayed event at North Carolina Speedway (8.2 rating for 78 minutes of green-flag coverage)
o More households tuned in to event than any other non-Daytona 500 NNCS event in history
o Experienced a +20% increase over the 6.6 rating for race #2 in 2004 (at North Carolina)
o #1 sporting event of the weekend
§ Race 3: UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at Las Vegas on FOX
o Experienced a +10% increase in ratings vs. 2004 (6.4 vs. 5.8)
o #1 sporting event of the weekend, outperforming NCAA Selection Show, PGA, and all College Basketball Conference Championship games
§ Race 4: Golden Corral 500 at Atlanta on FOX
o # 2 sport of the weekend, trailing only the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament
o Outperformed PGA, NBA, and various NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament games
§ Race 5: Food City 500 at Bristol on FOX
o Highest rated NNCS event in the history of the track (6.3 rating)
o #2 sport of the weekend, trailing only the NCAA Basketball tournament
§ Race 6: Advance Auto Parts 500 at Martinsville on FOX
o #2 sport of the weekend, trailing only the Masters tournament
NASCAR Busch Series
I. 2005 NBS Ratings and Viewership are up
§ Overall (network and cable combined): An average of 2.4 million households (+40%) and 3.3 million viewers (+41%) have tuned in to each NBS event.
§ Network: The NBS has earned a 3.4 average network rating in 2005 YTD, up +42% over 2004.
§ Cable: The NBS has earned a 2.0 average cable rating in 2005 YTD, up +33% over 2004.
II. 2005 Viewership is up in Several Major Markets and Demographic groups
§ 9 of the top 10 U.S. markets have experienced growth in NBS YTD ratings, including New York (+7%), Los Angeles (+29%), Chicago (+41%), Philadelphia (+24%), Boston (+63%), San Francisco (+50%), Dallas (+68%), Washington, D.C. (+15%), and Atlanta (+76%).
§ The top 5 largest NBS markets are Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Tampa.
§ NBS viewership has increased among key demographic groups in 2005: males 18-34 (+54%), males 18-49 (+37%), females 18-24 (+51%), females 18-34 (+61%), and females 18-49 (+60%).
III. 2005 Event Highlights
§ Race 1: Hershey’s Take 5 300 at Daytona on FOX
o Among the Top 5 sporting events of the weekend, trailing only the Daytona 500 (and pre-race show) and NBA All-Star game (and pre-game show)
§ Race 2: Stater Bros. 300 at California on FX
o Highest rated NBS event in FX broadcast history (2.6 rating)
o Experienced a +53% increase over the 1.7 rating for race #2 in 2004 (at North Carolina)
o #1 sporting event on cable television for the weekend
§ Race 3: Telcel Motorola Mexico 200 at Mexico City on FOX
o Second most viewed NBS event in broadcast history (3.8 million households and 5.7 million viewers)
o Highest rated non-Daytona NBS event in broadcast history (3.5 rating)
o #3 sporting event of the weekend
§ Race 4: Sam’s Town 300 at Las Vegas on FX
o More households tuned in to event than any other NBS event in the history of the track (1.9 million)
o Experienced a +29% increase in ratings vs. 2004 (2.2 vs. 1.7)
o #1 cable sporting event of the weekend
§ Race 5: Aaron’s 312 at Atlanta on FX
o Second most viewed NBS event in the history of the track (1.6 million households and 2.2 million viewers)
o Experienced a +46% increase in ratings vs. comparable event at Darlington in 2004 (1.9 vs. 1.3)
o #1 cable sporting event of the weekend
§ Race 6: Pepsi 300 at Nashville on FX
o Experienced +25% increase in ratings vs. 2004 (1.5 vs. 1.2)
o #1 cable sporting event of the weekend
o #1 motorsports event of the weekend
§ Race 7: Sharpie Professional 250 at Bristol on FX
o Event postponed due to rain and aired Monday morning
o Despite the rain delay, event was the #2 motorsports race event of the weekend
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
I. 2005 Ratings and Viewership are up
§ The NCTS has earned a 1.3 average rating on SPEED Channel in 2005 YTD, up +18% over 2004.
§ An average of 807,000 households (+19%) and 1.1 million viewers (+29%) have tuned in to each NCTS event in 2005.
II. 2005 Viewership among Key Demographic Groups is up
§ Males 18-49 (+32%), females 18-34 (+24%), and females 18-49 (+33%) have experienced substantial increased viewership of the NCTS.
III. 2005 Event Highlights
§ Race 1: Florida Dodge Dealers 250 at Daytona
o Highest rated program in the entire broadcast history of SPEED Channel (2.1 rating)
o Experienced a +31% increase over 2004 record high 1.6 rating
o Outperformed several NBA All-Star weekend events, both primetime NBA games, various Men’s College Basketball games, and the Crown Royal IROC Series
§ Race 2: American Racing Wheels 200 at California
o Earned a 1.0 rating, up +11% over race #2 of 2004 (at Atlanta)
§ Race 3: World Financial Group 200 at Atlanta
o Outperformed NHRA and all other motorsports race events on SPEED Channel
§ Race 4: Kroger 250 at Martinsville
o Experienced a +25% increase in ratings over the 2004 event (1.0 vs. 0.8)
o #7 sporting event on cable television and the #3 motorsports race event of the weekend