INDIANAPOLIS: The telecast of the Indy 500 on Sunday pulled in a 4.2 in overnight Nielsen’s for ABC between 1 and 5 p.m., according to Sports Business Daily. The preliminary number is down 17.6 percent from the 5.1 overnight achieved by last year’s left-turnathon. The race represented the opening IndyCar broadcast of the season for ABC and cable sister ESPN.
The numbers fell despite the assumed sex appeal of grrrl-power drive Danica Patrick, who powered in at third, and Helio Castroneves, third-time winner and champion hoofer on “Dancing with the Stars.”
Michael Hiestand of USA Todaysaid ABC’s coverage was down 40 percent from four years ago, netting the lowest rating since the race started receiving flag-to-flag coverage 23 years ago.
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