TV season review shows drop

With the 2013 season ending on a bit of a dull note, it is perhaps no surprise that the end of year season review shows on BBC One and Sky Sports F1 suffered as a result, according to unofficial overnight viewing figures.

BBC One’s show, entitled ‘A Record Breaking Show’ averaged 880,000 (8.5%) on Saturday 28th December. It was the first time since the ITV days that a season review had dropped below one million viewers. The previous lowest on BBC was in 2009, which averaged 1.10m (12.5%) albeit that was broadcast a week after the season concluded. Since then, the season reviews have average between 1.1 million and 1.3 million viewers, so the 2013 overnight figure comes in slightly below that.

Unofficially, Sky’s review show averaged 1,000 (0.01%), despite it being half the length of last year’s season review show. Seeing something average 1,000 viewers is very, very rare, and it should be said that the smaller you go, the margin of error gets bigger. Nevertheless, I imagine both BBC and Sky are fairly glad to see the back of 2013.

Brazilian Grand Prix records lowest rating in nearly a decade

The Brazilian Grand Prix dropped to its lowest rating in nearly a decade, unofficial overnight viewing figures show.

The race, shown live on BBC One, averaged 3.45m (19.9%) from 15:00 to 18:05. Sky Sports F1’s live coverage, for their designated race show from 15:00 to 18:15, averaged a further 499k (2.8%). Both sides unsurprisingly were down on last year’s title deciding race. BBC’s coverage was down 1.72m, whilst Sky’s coverage dropped 45,000 viewers in comparison to their 14:30 to 19:30 average from 2012.

The combined average of 3.95 million viewers is the lowest since at least the 2005 race, as overnight data is available only as far back as January 1st, 2006. The previous lowest, between then and now for the Brazilian round was 4.8m (27.2%) in 2011.

The 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix ratings report can be found here.

US Grand Prix hits six year F1 ratings low

The United States Grand Prix recorded the lowest viewership for a Formula 1 Grand Prix in the United Kingdom in six years, unofficial overnight viewing figures show.

Coverage of the race, screened in highlights form on BBC One from 22:25, averaged 1.71m (15.4%). Sky Sports F1’s live coverage of the race itself, from 18:00 to 21:15, averaged a further 761k (3.0%). Both figures are down, BBC’s highlights show was down 510k on 2012, whilst Sky was down at least 55k on 2012, although the 2012 comparison is based on the 17:30 to 22:15 time slot, the channel having split their race day programme into three parts since.

The combined overnight viewership is therefore in the 2.5 million viewer region, the lowest for the race since at least 2006. The figure itself unofficially is the lowest for a Formula 1 race since the 2007 Bahrain Grand Prix, which was screened live on ITV to an audience of 2.54m (34.1%). Officially, the race is expected to the lowest rated Formula 1 race since at least 2008.

The 2012 United States Grand Prix ratings report can be found here.

Motor sport ratings (week ending 3rd November, 2013)

Again as with last week there is only Sky Sports F1 ratings to report from BARB for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Thankfully this time the race day number has indeed been split into three which breaks down as follows:

– 570,000 – Live Race (Sunday, 11:30)
=> 212,000 – 11:30 to 12:00
=> 748,000 – 12:00 to 15:20
=> 167,000 – 15:20 to 16:10

When you consider that 570,000 viewers is the average for an exclusive race, I imagine Sky will be quite disappointed as that is only 5 percent up year-on-year. Okay, the title race is over, but I imagine they were hoping for a higher average than that.

Elsewhere on Sky Sports F1:

– 457,000 – Live Qualifying (Saturday, 12:00)
– 106,000 – Live Practice 3 (Saturday, 09:45)
– 56,000 – Live Practice 1 (Friday, 08:45)
– 54,000 – Live Practice 2 (Friday, 12:45)

No promotion means that none of the GP2 or GP3 championship deciding races made it into Sky Sports F1’s top ten. Okay, things did not go Sam Bird’s way, but I don’t think I even seen cross promotion on Sky Sports News. A lesson to learn for 2014, I feel. Qualifying fared impressively, one of Sky’s higher ratings of the year, but the rating may have been influenced by only 20 minutes reaction afterwards (which probably makes GP3’s first race failing to make Sky’s top ten even more disappointing).

Marquez MotoGP title victory peaks with 1.6 million

Marc Marquez’s title victory in yesterday’s MotoGP from Valencia was seen by 1.6 million viewers across BBC Two and British Eurosport, overnight viewing figures show.

As noted by @TVRatingsUK on Twitter, BBC’s programme from 12:30 averaged 1.21 million viewers (11.9 percent share), peaking with 1.49 million viewers (14 percent share) as Marquez clinched the crown.

Eurosport added 152,000 viewers at its peak for their delayed transmission, bringing a combined peak of 1.64 million viewers.

BBC’s figures increased slightly on the usual 1 million to 1.1 million average. Their figures have been broadly flat across the past six or seven years, so anyone expecting them to put it a bid double the previous amount to match BT Sport is in fantasy land. They probably would have increased the bid by 10 percent to cover themselves, but not much more.