Last weekend’s 24 Hours of Daytona averaged 901,000 viewers across NBC Sports and Peacock.
Confirmed:
- Average 901,000 viewers tuned in across three windows on linear television and streaming, a 140 per cent year-over-year (YoY) increase
- Viewership increased 33 per cent on Peacock, making it the most-streamed International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) window on record
- Linear audience fell from 792,000 viewers last year to 692,000
Context:
The 24 Hours of Daytona is the traditional curtain-raiser for the IMSA SportsCar Championship, the US-based equivalent of the World Endurance Championship (WEC). The race forms part of motorsport’s unofficial triple crown of endurance racing, alongside the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 12 Hours of Sebring.
These audience figures emphasise the changing viewership habits of fans as streaming becomes more important in modern motorsport. Peacock has historically struggled to generate meaningful numbers for various series amid the shift from linear to over-the-top (OTT), so this will be a promising sign that the platform is beginning to establish itself as a destination for fans looking for other ways to watch motorsport.
.@NBC was actually down in its linear TV window for the end of the Rolex 24 — 692,000 this year versus 792,000 last year — underscoring how streaming is becoming more important for racing ratings since the event ended up overall.
— Adam Stern (@A_S12) February 3, 2025
🔲 @Nielsen's TV-only figure was 986,000 in 2023. pic.twitter.com/2Iq4ZqVsFg
Coming next:
The 2025 IMSA SportsCar Championship returns to action with the 12 Hours of Sebring on 15th March.
Go deeper:
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