Formula 1’s first Summer break came to a conclusion with the Hungarian Grand Prix, and in the official BARB ratings, both BBC and Sky recorded improvements versus 2012. BBC One’s highlights programme averaged 3.78 million viewers, an increase of 140,000 viewers against the overnight ratings, which is quite frankly tuppence by today’s standards where primetime programmes can timeshift near to a million viewers. Like I said, it is marginally up on 2012, 80,000 viewers up to be exact. Sky Sports F1’s race programme averaged 812,000 viewers, an increase of 70,000 viewers from the overnight ratings, although this is as a result of the ad-breaks being stripped out of the official ratings. The programme average was up 94,000 on 2012.

Elsewhere on Sky Sports F1:

– 432,000 – Live Qualifying (Saturday, 12:00)
– 94,000 – Live Practice 3 (Saturday, 09:45)
– 59,000 – GP Uncovered (Sunday, 16:30)
– 54,000 – Live GP2 Race 1 (Saturday, 14:35)
– 47,000 – The F1 Show (Friday, 17:00)
– 42,000 – Live Practice 2 (Friday, 12:45)

Overall, the practice ratings are up year-on-year although practice one was for some reason outside of the top ten. Nevertheless, very pleasing to see GP Uncovered in the top ten as it is not often that it makes the top ten. Solid rating for the first GP2 race, I do hope it continues to improve ratings wise, Sky need to maximise the fact that GP2 and GP3 after F1 Qualifying as much as possible.

The Goodwood Festival of Speed was ITV4’s main highlight, with ‘The First 20 Years’ bringing 350,000 viewers to the channel on Wednesday (24th July) at 21:00. 390,000 viewers watched the 2013 action a day later. Motors TV is the only other worthy mention this week, the Blancpain Endurance Series topping its chart with 19,000 viewers.

As I noted in the overnight ratings report for the German Grand Prix, the Wimbledon final had a significant effect on the ratings for the race. The highlights programme on BBC One averaged a huge 5.26 million viewers in the official BARB ratings thanks to the tennis lead-in. Sky Sports F1’s race programme averaged 743,000 viewers, bringing the average to 6.00 million viewers. It will be a tough ask for that to be beaten late in the season, you would probably be asking for the title race to go down to the wire, and I don’t think that is looking likely at the moment.

Elsewhere on Sky Sports F1:

– 437,000 – Live Qualifying (Saturday, 12:00)
– 101,000 – Live Practice 3 (Saturday, 09:45)
– 80,000 – Live Practice 1 (Friday, 08:45)
– 72,000 – Live GP3 Race 2 (Sunday, 08:20)
– 68,000 – Live GP2 Race 2 (Sunday, 09:30)
– 60,000 – Live Practice 2 (Friday, 12:45)

All of the live Formula 1 ratings on Sky Sports F1 were down year-on-year. However, last year’s race weekend was free to Sky and Virgin Media customers. Maybe Sky should do the same tactic for next weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix?

In the feeder series’, some impressive ratings comparatively speaking for GP2 and GP3, GP3’s Race 2 figure was higher than any figure recorded for the series during 2012, so very good stuff there. GP3 peaked with 92,000 viewers, again one of the higher peaks I’ve seen. It all comes down to promotion for the feeder series, but that appears to be improving slightly, GP2’s Jon Lancaster was seen doing a live interview with Sky Sports News last week following his German Grand Prix victory.

Motors TV struggled this week, with no ratings above 7,000 viewers, whilst over on ITV4, the Tour de France continued with highlights bringing in between 371,000 and 612,000 viewers.