2010 Versus TV-ratings are up

[Lousada]

Versus averaged 518,000 viewers (0.3 U.S. rating) for last Saturday night's Izod IndyCar Series Firestone 550k at Texas Motor Speedway from 8:42-11:04pm ET, marking the net's most-viewed race telecast since it began airing IndyCar races last season.

http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/article/139903

If you look closely at the little schedule you see where they got the gains. Texas started 1.5 hours earlier than last year. Also the two lowest rated races were shifted to ABC and replaced with brandnew events, which always score higher.
Still, let's hope this trend continues because they sure need this positive reporting.

[anthonyvop]

http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/article/139903

If you look closely at the little schedule you see where they got the gains. Texas started 1.5 hours earlier than last year. Also the two lowest rated races were shifted to ABC and replaced with brandnew events, which always score higher.
Still, let's hope this trend continues because they sure need this positive reporting.

When harping about a 0.3 is positive reporting then you know you are in trouble.

[00steven]

Hopefully they can keep it up so indycar can eventually rise back to the specticle it once was.

[Scotty G.]

I would be flat embarrassed to be the one writing about a .3 rating and 500,000 people total watching, being something that "is the best" of anything.

That is pathetic, no matter how you spin it.

[MDS]

Actually its not that bad. The ICS needed to show improvement, and they haven't seen the average that would really help, 1.0 on Versus and 2.0 on ABC, but they're getting better, an a half-million constant fans, of which 60 percent or so are in the coveted 18-40 age bracket, so its not bad.

By way of comparison the 2009 MLS playoffs on ESPN drew a .2 average with an average of 225,000 viewers. The WNBA 2009 playoffs averaged .3 and a .1 for its regular season, has almost no male viewers takes loses of at least $12 million a year which is covered by the NBA.

The NHL saw its best ratings since the 70s, in part helped by two storied franchises in finals and a stunning performance at the Olympics. More people watched the final game than the Indy 500 and the playoff average was a more than respectable 3.6 average. Since the NHL is on Versus it should help raise that channel's profile and by extension help the IRL

The juggernaut that is NASCAR kept chugging on Sunday with Neilson fast nationals showing a 3.3 ratings for 5.4 million viewers and won the day on basic cable in total viewers and adults 18-54.

The ICS is probably breaking even and is collecting more sponsors. Now that they've stopped the bleeding they can focus on building, so yeah, Rome wasn't built in a day and all that.

Given how badly the MLS and the WNBA are doing on ESPN the fact that the ICS can pull in a 500,000 on much more obscure network is a pretty good sign. Long term maybe Versus is the answer, but short term the answer is to get out of that deal somehow and get as many races on broadcast and more established cable networks as possible.

[NickFalzone]

A .3 and 500k rating is certainly nothing to crow about. That being said, it is in the same range as the races that previously were on ESPN and ESPN2. It also is quite a bit better than the last IRL night race at Kentucky, which got ratings that barely registered. If VS can get the series to around a .5ish and 800k viewer rating, that will be considered a financially viable number for sponsors. Right now, they're still in the doldrums of barely getting by.

[SarahFan]

A .3 is flat out F'en horrible

any and all attempts to paint it as anything but is pathetic

[call_me_andrew]

The ICS is probably breaking even and is collecting more sponsors. Now that they've stopped the bleeding they can focus on building, so yeah, Rome wasn't built in a day and all that.

And what are you basing this on?

[MDS]

And what are you basing this on?

The Apex, Izod and Sunoco deals in combination with the other sponsors that have come on board in the last two years like Holmatro combined with the cuts they've made have to put the league at least close to breaking even, if not better.

[anthonyvop]

The Apex, Izod and Sunoco deals in combination with the other sponsors that have come on board in the last two years like Holmatro combined with the cuts they've made have to put the league at least close to breaking even, if not better.

Holmatro is seriously reassessing their Indy Car sponsorship after the Texas debacle.

Apex is for the Brazilian race and drivers. Izod got a sweet deal...so sweet that they won't even sponsor their driver anymore this year. Don't know the details of the Sunoco deal.

The preeminent team in Indy Car has 2 cars without sponsors. Many others are either without major sponsorship or under sponsored. A large percentage of the grid is there because of ride buyers.

Their be all that ends all, signature event had 1000's of empty seats and lower TV numbers.