26 replies to this topic

[LeD]

One keeps hearing and reading claims that F1 as a sport has more spectators than any other - audience figures being quoted in the billions.

Can this in fact be true? I ask the question in all innocence. I would have thought that football (soccer) for one would have a far greater worldwide audience. After all there is only one F1 race taking place at any given moment, whereas there must be literally thousands of football games being televised. I would have severe difficulty in believing that more people in underdevelopped countries in Asia and Africa watch F1 motor cars than local and international soccer.

But then I am not sure what the claim really means: does it mean that F1 in general has a bigger audience, or any single GP against any single football match (for example)?

I know it is not that important an issue, I guess I am one of those nit-picking people that challenges extravagant claims which perhaps by force of repetition, become equated with established fact

[Max Torque]

Football is indeed No1. No contest there.

The reports that you usually see are refering to single GP viewer ratings which are pretty high. GPs are the third higher sports broadcasts after the Olympics and the World Cup. But both Olympics and World Cup happen once every four years, while F1 is an annual event. So, if speaking about regular annual events, then F1 is No1 simply because F1 is only one tournament, while football tournaments are noumerous and viewers watch different matches and not all fans around the globe tune in to watch one specific game as in the case of F1.

[B.Verkiler]

F1 has maybe an overall audience, but nothing compares with soccer world championships or cumulated national championships.

[HartleyHare]

Yep, footie wins hands down. You can't exactly witness a quick 'game' of F1 at the local park, can you?

[Ross Stonefeld]

As far as sponsorship goes though, F1 is the biggest viewership for the reasons Torque listed

[Ross Stonefeld]

Hartley also F1 is one subdivision of racing. I wonder what the world wide numbers are for every single type of racing

[MacFan]

The FIA/FOCA figures for F1 viewing are highly dubious. They are based on F1 races, news items, commercials, in fact any time F1 features on TV for any length of time and any reason, the estimated number of people who happen to be watching TV at the time are added to the figures. It's not likely that 10x the worlds population actually watches F1 races...

[Williams]

According to "F1 - the business of winning", the FIA numbers are totals of people "broadcast to" and are therefore a potential audience figure. For example, the FIA says that the average figure for actual race viewers in 94-97 averaged about 5.4 billion, about 337 million per race. But an independent study published by Britain's Financial Times indicates a more conservative average audience figure of about 60 million per race, broken down to 32m/20% in Europe, 18m/14% in Brazil and Argentina, 2m/14% in Japan, 3m/5% in Asia, and 300k/0.3% in the U.S., where the percentages are percentage of potential audience. Of course these figures are about 4 years out of date, and the audience in the U.S. and Asia is probably a bit higher now, because of Indy and Malaysia.

The 1998 World Cup boasted a cumulative viewership of 37 billion. To compare, take 37b (viewers) / 4 (years) against 60m (viewers per race) * 16 (races per year) and we get F1 with 960m viewers per year against football's 9.25b viewers per year. If we can trust the footie numbers (they are officially estimated viewership figures) football wins hands down on the World Cup draw alone. Of course none of this takes into account F1 qualifying audiences, (about 20% of race viewers), numbers of new articles and additional programs generated, etc. but the results seem pretty clear.
[p][Edited by Williams on 02-07-2001]

[bira]

The actual viewership of Formula One Grands Prix states 338 million viewers per race in 1998 (it must have grown slightly since). That is real viewership (i.e. accumulation of # of viewers at every TV station around the world) and not "impressions" - which is an accumulations of views per every mention of F1.

The TV stations who sign a contract with F1 are obliged to hand in their official ratings figures. Then, these figures PER RACE are added up around the world.

~300 million people watching every race, on average, is not a bogus figure. It's relatively accurate - as accurate as any TV rating figure you see.

And, as such, each GP race has MORE viewership than ANY other sports event EXCEPT for the Olympic games and the World Cup (soccer).

That is, however, mainly a reflection of the fact that there is no other regularly contested high-profile sport event that is run throughout the year (seasonal) all over the world. Soccer (football) is geographically a local event and hence, even if there are more viewers seeing football in general than F1, there aren't more viewers watching the same football event than an F1 event.

By the way, in contrast, CART has a global viewership of less than 1% of Formula One, although relating to the share of this viewership in the United States alone, it had (before 2000) about 60% of F1, whereas NASCAR has negligent viewership outside the US, but more than quadruple the viewership of F1 within the US alone.

[mika911]

But I see numbers closer to 500-600 million people watching each Grand Prix LIVE and close to a billion for all broadcasts during a race weekend.
These numbers of 350 million are the lowest I've seen!

For the whole season in 1999 impression numbers were over 50 BILLION! Above I wasn't talking about impressions, but actual viewers.....am I not right?

ALSO, isn't it safe to say that F1 is the most watched SINGLE SPORTS LEAGUE OR SERIES IN THE WORLD?

In other words...not 1 particular soccer league has more viewers (yes, I know world cup, but lets not count that for now). Of all sports leagues/series....isn't F1 the most watched?

[Eduardo]

Dont buy it. but, for the sake of argument, let say ratings are so big.
My argument:

As an event, it may prove so, but.. I bet any premier local soccer (futbol) game in any country were F1 is shown has more audience than a single GP for that country. If this is true for most countrys, really F1 has less impact that soccer given a specific rating base.
These figures are kind off misleading. I do work in a advertising company, and comparative ratings are more significative. It would be better to speak of % of people watching TV at the time the GP is trasmited.

[Ray Bell]

In Australia, where the majority of GPs are broadcast late on Sunday night, I think you'll find that better than 70% of viewers watching TV at that time are watching the race. In addition, there would be just as many taping it for viewing at a more convenient time.

There's no doubt, however, that the Bathurst race would get more viewers than the AGP broadcast by a very large margin, maybe four or five times as many watching on race day. In fact, I'd say that the Touring Car races through the year would outrank all the GPs and probably the AGP as well.

But these numbers and relative positions are based on worldwide viewing. Even the World Cup playoffs wouldn't get the numbers, except in the teams' home countries and a couple of other very interested nations.

I wouldn't be at all surprised that the figures are fairly large in third world countries, either. This is a glamour sport, a field of endeavour well outside the life scope of people. For the same reason that Europeans stood on the side of the road at Lyons, or Americans at Savannah, Australians at Phillip Island, these people will be watching in awe.

[T0NT0]

found this fact

"Approximately 366,000,000 people worldwide will watch each of the 17 Grands Prix this season"

Information courtesy of mclaren.com

in a artical at

http://www.planet-f1...f1/ENG?ref=4920

[mika911]

Formula One is broadcast to over 200 countries worldwide and is the most watched seasonal global sporting event


It also said that on FAQ McLaren page. So, ti is the most watched annual single sports league.

Also, I suppose that if you include qualifying/practice viewers there is probably about HALF A BILLION viewers per Grand Prix weekend.

[scokim]

How do they actually measure the number of viewers for any sporting events or TV shows ?

[LeD]

We are getting into the realm of numbers that I find difficulty in accepting. F1 is broadcast to 200 countries? I know that the world has spawned many "new" countries since the fall of the Soviet Union - but surely 200 is about the total for the world? Can and does the average person (I don't mean the idle rich with satellite dishes) watch F1 at the weekend in Bhutan or Malawi; India or China; Kazakhstan or Vanuatu?

Perhaps when the claim of 200 countries is made, the claimant means that up there in the sky there are satellites broadcasting F1 - and 200 countries down below have the theoretical ability to receive the broadcast?

I know that in the USA and Europe programme makers have a pretty accurate measurement tool to make a "guesstimate" as to how many people watch a given broadcast. But I am certain that same tool would be wildly inaccurate when applied to the viewing habits of the rest of the world.

[mika911]

Actually I think it is 209 countries that F1 is broacast in!

Isn't there 250-280 countries on earth?

[tony]

Professional motorsports as a whole including CART, NASCAR, and drag racing....might come close to Football(soccer), but I doubt it...My guess is that Football wins hands down.

[mika911]

We're not trying to count motorsport as a whole just like we aren't trying to count soccer/football as a whole.

I think what a lot of us just like to "think about" is that F1 is the most watched annual "SPORTS LEAGUE" in the world!

All the soccer leagues combined KILL F1.....but not a single one beats it on the world wide scale.

[Williams]

I really have to take issue with the figure of ~300m viewers per race for F1. F1 stats are alwys quoted in terms of the number of people the race is "broadcast to". That means the estimated number of viewers who could theoretically switch their TVs to the channel showing the race and actually watch it. That doesn't mean the number of people who have actually done so. The number of people who actually make the choice to watch each race is about 1/5 of the number who could.

Don't forget that it is very, very much in the interests of the people who present these figures to talk them up as much as possible, since viewership numbers cut to the very heart and soul of the business of F1 racing. While the numbers must have some basis in fact, every possible statistical trick and assumption will be used when dressing up these figures for public consumption.

[Gruff]

What the hell is all this 'soccer' and 'footie' crap? The sport is football. Jesus! And yeah, it's bound to be the most watched sport, because by 'watched' you do not restrict this to television audiences. Consider the hundreds of thousands of football grounds around the world - that'll be a lot of spectators.

[Gruff]

Originally posted by mika911
It also said that on FAQ McLaren page.

Originally posted by TONTO
Information courtesy of mclaren.com

Oh, right, from McLaren - then it must be true then...

Funny, if that information came from ferrari.com then I'd expect FransMSH to claim it must be made up...

[NOvene]

Football is the most watched sport in the world, no contest. But this is not a fair comparison.

I'm not sure whether Formula One should be seen as a branch of motor racing, but as a separate sport on its own. I mean other car racing like Rallies, NASCAR..they are so different!

Whereas football is the same everywhere. MLS and Seria A use the footballs with the same roundness, same no of players on field, and generally (and unbiased and non-corrupted), referees all over the world follows the same FIFA rules.

[MrAerodynamicist]

Clearly the sum of national football leagues is greater than F1, but I think to a stop the comparison there is a in a way a bit unfair on F1. I think you have to give F1 credit for managine to be one of the few large sports to manage to run a permanent world series. World series are a lot more difficult to run than national ones. I bet the viewing figures for a perminant world league would also be less than the current sum of national football leagues. After all, when was the last time you heard a football fan complaining they had to get up at 2am to watch the match?!

[LeD]

When I started this thread, I didn't really mean to make comparisons between football and F1. (And btw, oh aptly named Gruff , I agree that football is football but there are others here who see it as some other barbarian sport).

What I was questioning was the validity of the astronomical figures that I see claimed for F1 audiences. I live in Egypt, a very populous country, and the only way I can get to watch F1 is by buying my own 2,4 metre dish - and then, I have to choose between watching the races either scrambled in Italian on RAI, or in Turkish on NTV Istanbul. I really doubt that I am typical of the population at large either in this country or in let's say 200 of the 280 countries that someone else in this thread believes to be the total on earth.

I truly believe that F1, greatly as I love it, is a sport for the affluent classes wherever they may be, and not a sport for the masses as Bernie might possibly have us believe. Good luck to him if he can convince advertisers that viewing figures for F1 are in the billions - but I for one am not buying it

[mika911]

F1 is watched by more than 300 million people each round, isn't it?

I mean...over 2 billion watched Olympic games opening ceremoney.

I actually believe that F1 goes to OVER A BILLION HOMES...and 330 million people watch!

[Ray Bell]

I have one list showing 235 countries, without splitting England from Scotland etc...

As for counting those capable of watching, this would be garbage. If the telecast goes just to the major European countries there would be ... well look at the population figures:

France: 59.2m
Germany: 82.1m
Italy: 57.7m
Netherlands: 15.8m
Switzerland: 7.1m
British Isles: 64.4m
Spain: 39.9m
Portugal: 9.5m
Austria: 8.1m
Sweden: 8.9m
Finland: 5.1m
Belgium: 10.2m
Hungary: 10m

They're just the countries in Europe which have staged or do stage GPs (I may have missed one or two) and that's bordering on half a billion....

Then add:

Australia: 19.1m
USA: 273.7m
Canada: 30.6m
Japan: 126m
Mexico: 98.7m
Argentina: 36.1m
Brazil: 165.9m
Malaysia: 23.2m
South Africa: 43m

There's another 820+ million... again without going beyond the borders of countries that have never hosted a GP. In excess of 1.3 billion live within the borders of countries that have at some time hosted a GP!

And there is interest elsewhere... countries such as Korea (47m), Thailand (61m), Taiwan (22m), Norway (4.5m), New Zealand (3.8m), Russia (147m), Czechoslovakia (10.2m), Greece (10.2m), Israel (9.1m), the Phillipines (75m), Poland (38m), Romania (22.4m) and many others are technologically advanced enough for television to be in most homes and people to be interested in racing.

300 million watching each race sounds quite plausible to me... if there's enough passing.