Americans skip F1 on tv: 'Season more dull than usual'

Formula 1's popularity has skyrocketed in the United States in recent years. Thanks in part to the success of the Netflix series Drive to Survive, Americans flock to the Grands Prix, including last week in Miami. Yet there is an initial sign that enthusiasm for F1 is stagnating: in fact, viewing figures for the Miami race showed a huge decline compared to a year earlier.

Responding to its popularity, sports channel ESPN signed a new contract to broadcast F1 last year. Until last year, the channel paid US$5 million per season for this, now ESPN (part of Disney) remits US$ 90 million annually to Formula 1. As part of the deal, several Grands Prix will be broadcast on ABC.

'More dull than usual'

The Miami race was also shown on the channel, which is among the largest in the country. Last year, this race on ABC was watched by 2.6 million people, the largest US audience for a live F1 broadcast ever. This year, there were significantly fewer viewers. ABC lost as much as a quarter of its audience, compared to last season. According to the US newspaper New York Times, this may be because it is 'duller-than-usual', thanks to Red Bull Racing's dominance.

Yet there are bright spots. Another analysis of viewing figures notes that while people in big cities dropped out more often, in more rural areas, interest in the sport is actually growing. North Carolina (home of NASCAR, ed.) and Oklahoma, for example, are home to many F1 viewers.