The TV audience for NHRA’s Mello Yello series on ESPN and ESPN2 declined for the third consecutive year in 2013.

All three categories -- ratings, households and average viewers -- were down, according to data furnished to ESPN by Nielsen Media.

The numbers are very important within the drag racing industry. They are a key measure of the sport’s overall popularity and are considered by most companies when deciding whether or not to commitment sponsorship dollars to teams, tracks or NHRA.

The TV audience for NHRA’s Mello Yello series on ESPN and ESPN2 declined for the third consecutive year in 2013.

All three categories -- ratings, households and average viewers -- were down, according to data furnished to ESPN by Nielsen Media.

The numbers are very important within the drag racing industry. They are a key measure of the sport’s overall popularity and are considered by most companies when deciding whether or not to commitment sponsorship dollars to teams, tracks or NHRA.

This season’s rating for final eliminations was 0.3 vs. 0.4 in both 2012 and 2011. ESPN started using U.S. household ratings this year instead of coverage ratings to have a more valid comparison between cable and network ratings. U.S. household ratings are a measure of all homes with TV rather than just homes with cable. Currently there are 115.8 million TV households in the U.S.

The household average in 2013 was 396,000. That’s 24,000 fewer than in 2012 (420,000) and 52,000 fewer than in 2011 (448,000).

Average viewership in 2013 was 524,000. That’s down 33,000 from 2012 (557,000) and 67,000 from 2011 (591,000).

Qualifying show numbers also declined. The rating this season was 0.2 vs. 0.3 both of the previous two years. Household averages dropped to 286,000 from 299,000 and 324,000, respectively. Average viewership was 368,000 in 2013, down from 380,000 in 2012 and 405,000 in 2011.

Ratings and viewership can be affected by a variety of factors, such as date, air time, weather delays and competition from other entertainment or news programs.

While the scale of NHRA and NASCAR is vastly different, audience numbers offer a general comparison. ESPN provides event coverage of both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide series. The recent Cup race at Phoenix International Raceway generated a 2.7 U.S. household rating and averaged 4,271,141 viewers. The Nationwide race did a 1.0 rating and averaged 1,391,586 viewers.

Six of the first eight NASCAR Cup Chase races telecast as scheduled had ratings and viewership jumps from last year. The first race, at Chicagoland Speedway, was rain-delayed

ESPN will lose the NASCAR rights after the 2014 season. NHRA’s contract with the network runs through 2016.

 
Follow Michael Knight on Twitter: @SpinDoctor500

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