The latest broadcast of the IndyCar Series by FOX has garnered an impressive viewership, surpassing ratings from the previous year. The intense face-off between Alex Palou and Josef Newgarden, which was witnessed by a staggering 1.4 million viewers, marked a significant surge from the viewership captured during last year’s race.
To provide a fair comparison, let’s take a look at the previous race held in St. Petersburg. The live 2024 broadcast, facilitated by NBC, managed to pull in a combined audience of 974,700. This figure was reached by using the Total Audience Delivery (TAD) metric, which includes live streaming data. It’s important to note that FOX’s broadcast figures do not include live streaming, as the network does not employ the TAD metric.
The shift to FOX proved beneficial for IndyCar, with a substantial increase of 425,300 viewers. According to the broadcaster, this places the recent race as the most-viewed IndyCar race on network television in the past 14 years, not counting the Indy 500.
Further, FOX Sports reported that the opening practice, aired on the FOX Sports 1 cable channel on Friday, attracted 95,000 viewers. This number excludes streaming data as well.
The 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES kicked off with a bang, as the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg broadcast by FOX Sports hit a 14-year high. The viewership even peaked at over 1.8 million, a testament to the growing popularity of the sport and the effectiveness of the network’s broadcasting strategy.
In conclusion, the recent broadcast by FOX has not only served to boost IndyCar’s audience but also reinstated the network’s position as a leading broadcaster for the sport. The surge in viewership points to a promising future for IndyCar races on network television and serves as a testament to the growing fan base of the sport.
