AUTOCLUB 500 ON FOX IS WEEK’S HIGHEST-RATED,
MOST-WATCHED SPORTS EVENT
Race Ranks with Top-Rated Prime Time Shows
New York — FOX Sports’ coverage of the AUTOCLUB 500 Presented by Quaker State on Sunday evening (2/22) was the top-rated, most-watched sports event of the week and was one of the highest-rated prime time programs among several popular demographic categories, including adults 18-49.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the race posted a 6.0/10 national household rating/share, with 10.2 million viewers watching, by far the highest-rated and most-watched sports event of the week. Placing a distant second was Sunday’s final round of the Northern Trust Open on CBS (3.7/7, 4.8 million viewers).
Out of 80 prime time programs televised on the four major broadcast networks last week, the AUTOCLUB 500 on FOX placed fifth among men 25-54 (5.8), seventh among men 18-49 (4.4) and 14th in the important adults18-49 category (3.7). Among men 25-54, the AUTOCLUB 500 beat well-known shows such as Lost and Two-and-a-Half Men; among men 18-49, the race out-distanced Heroes and Survivor: Tocantins; and among adults 18-49 the race out-rated Biggest Loser and Criminal Minds.
Sunday’s AUTOCLUB 500 coverage also fared well opposite expected stiff competition from the Academy Awards. FOX’s 5.9/9 prime time household average on Sunday fared +28% better than FOX’s recent performance versus the Oscars (4.6 average from 2004 to 2007), and +13% better among adults 18-49 (3.6 vs. 3.2). Last year’s NASCAR race opposite the Academy Awards show was delayed by rain and pre-empted the planned prime time lineup, so it was excluded from this comparison. The 2009 Academy Awards on ABC averaged a 20.6/36.
— FOX SPORTS —
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