P1racenews AI automatic summary:
FOX Sports has released viewership numbers for the opening round of the 2025 IndyCar season, showing a sizeable increase over last year’s event. According to the network, Sunday’s race from St. Petersburg averaged 1.417 million viewers and peaked at more than 1.8 million. The race reached approximately 45% more people than last year’s season-opening round, […]
According to the network, Sunday’s race from St. Petersburg had an average of 1.417 million viewers and peaked at over 1.8 million, marking a 45% increase from the previous season opener that had 975,000 viewers through NBC. This performance ranks the race as one of the highest in the series’ TV viewership history and the most-watched IndyCar event outside the Indy 500 since 2011. In comparison, the 2024 Indy 500 averaged over five million viewers, indicating its exceptional status as a major event. Despite the outlier, other races in 2024 had an average of 637,000 viewers. The partnership with FOX Sports for 2025 has stirred interest, with FOX making significant investments in promoting IndyCar, including commercials during the Superbowl and other sports broadcasts, and featuring renowned commentator Will Buxton. The initial results show increased viewership, with fans tuning in to see Alex Palou leading the championship race. The network plans to closely monitor viewership throughout the season, with all races set to air on FOX to maximize accessibility for viewers.
