ESPN has reported a file viewers for the Australian Grand Prix after the race drew a median of 1.1 million viewers for the season-opener.
The earlier excessive of 659,000 was set in 2019, and was comfortably crushed final weekend as Lando Norris gained a dramatic moist race in Melbourne, holding off Max Verstappen within the closing phases of a race that was interrupted by a number of Security Automotive durations. The race aired on ESPN, with lights out at midnight Japanese Time and the checkered flag shortly after 0200 ET.
ESPN’s viewing figures reached a peak of 1.3 million within the opening phases of the race, and the common is greater than double the 541,000 that tuned into ESPN2 to see Carlos Sainz take victory in 2024. Nonetheless, final 12 months’s race at Albert Park was the third spherical of a season, coming after Verstappen claimed dominant victories within the opening two rounds.
Whereas the common is barely down on the primary race of 2024 – Bahrain attracted 1.12 million on a Saturday morning final 12 months, and 1.32 million on a Sunday morning in 2023 – the figures nonetheless symbolize an encouraging begin to the 2025 season for ESPN given the timezone the Australian race is held in, and means that the approaching 12 months might ship a brand new viewership file for the community.
System 1 is within the remaining 12 months of its broadcast cope with ESPN and appears set to maneuver to a brand new house in the USA from subsequent 12 months onwards. Netflix is the frontrunner to safe the rights, however F1 can also be fielding curiosity from Apple and Amazon, amongst different streaming platforms.
