Viewership for the second-ever Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix dropped 30.4 per cent year-over-year (YoY) to 905,000 on ESPN in the US.
Confirmed:
- Viewership peaked at 1.1 million viewers for race that started at 1am ET
- 2024 season now averaging audience of 1.14 million on ESPN, down from 1.16 million in 2023
Context:
Despite the Las Vegas Grand Prix going from strength to strength commercially, the US TV market has not responded to the event in the same way. A start time of 1am ET certainly didn’t play in the race’s favour, though, with a large chunk of the American market not appropriately catered for.
This was the third-largest percentage drop in viewership YoY this season after the rain-delayed São Paulo Grand Prix (41.6 per cent) and Saudi Arabia (39.6 per cent). It also means three of Formula One’s last six races have dropped below an average of one million viewers, after exceeding the figure for nine straight races.
Coming next:
There are just two races left of the Formula One season. The Qatar Grand Prix is next up from 29th November to 1st December and will be broadcast in the US on ESPN2.
Go deeper:
- Has F1’s Las Vegas gamble paid off? We went to the Grand Prix to find out
- F1 viewership analysis: Has the series cracked the US TV market?
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