STAMFORD, Conn.—The NASCAR 2020 Cup Series crossed the finish line on Nov. 8, and despite a season interrupted by COVID-19 and reported record streaming numbers, NBC Sports says that its TV audience matched what it was in 2019.
Throughout 19 races on NBC and NBCSN, NASCAR 2020 Cup Series viewership produced a Total Audience Delivery of 2.597 million viewers, per Nielsen and digital data from Adobe Analytics; the same TAD there was for 2019’s 19 races produced by NBC Sports.
Races that were broadcast on NBC (eight for the 2020 season) actually saw a 3% increase over 2019, averaging a TAD of 3.234 million viewers; 2019’s average was 3.147 million. The season-capping race on NBC produced 3.093 million viewers—peaking at 4.087 million at the finish— up 18% from the 2.588 million that watched the final 2019 playoff race on NBC.
This level TV viewership came even as NBC Sports recorded its most-streamed NASCAR season to date, with an Average Minute Audience of 27,300 viewers, up 29% from 2019 (21,100 viewers).
The top market for NASCAR on NBC and NBCSN was Greenville-Spartanburg, S.C., with a 4.2 local rating. The top 10 also featured Charlotte, N.C. (4.0); Knoxville, Tenn. (4.0); Greensboro-High Point, N.C. (3.8); Indianapolis (3.5); Richmond, Va. (3.3); Ft. Myers-Naples (3.1); Nashville (3.0); Birmingham, Ala. (3.0); and Dayton, Ohio (2.9).
