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HomeBroadcastGaining Traction: Record U.S. Audience on ABC, Acknowledging Disney’s Commitment to F1

Gaining Traction: Record U.S. Audience on ABC, Acknowledging Disney’s Commitment to F1

Gaining Traction: Record U.S. Audience on ABC, Acknowledging Disney’s Commitment to F1

ABCs broadcast of the Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday drew the largest live U.S. audience ever for the race, with an average of 1.79 million viewers tuning in. It was also the thirdlargest live audience ever recorded in the U.S. for a Formula 1 race.

This marks a notable increase in viewership from last years 1.6 million average viewers on ESPN. Sundays race also included 818,000 viewers of the qualifying event that aired on ESPN the day prior to the race, as well as a Sunday afternoon rerun on ABC that averaged 564,000 viewers.

Disneys decision to air the race live on ABC is part of the companys commitment to Formula 1 that was formalised last year with a threeyear media rights renewal. Lopez Negrete Communications senior vice president Bob Imbriani commented,Disney has done a great job with promotion and creating appointment viewing for F1. On Disneys US networks, F1 is averaging 1.27 million viewers this season, up 5 percent from last years full season average of 1.21 million.

The record for the largest live U.S. audience for an F1 race is held by last years Miami Grand Prix on ABC, which drew 2.6 million average viewers. Second place goes to the Miami Grand Prix this year, with an average of 1.96 million viewers. Formula 1 Managing Director of Motorsports, Ross Brawn commented about the increased viewership:

This is a really strong result and testament to the work of the Formula 1, ESPN, ABC and Disney teams.

We saw a large audience for Saturdays qualifying session and now the secondlargest ever ABC live viewership figure for an F1 race. Sundays Monaco Grand Prix marks a recordbreaking moment for Formual 1 in the United States, and confirms Disneys strong commitment to the sport. This monumental success is just the beginning of what is to come the best is yet to come for F1 fans this season.

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