Last weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix only managed to reel in a peak audience of just 2.8 million viewers, it has been revealed.
One reason for the low figures could be the level of competition the race faced from other channels. For example, the Manchester Derby in the Premier League was on at a similar time, as were documentaries and events marking 100 years since the end of World War One.
Less than a million viewers watched the whole event, broadcast exclusively on the subscription channel Sky Sports.
It was the lowest viewing figures for a Brazilian Grand Prix since 2015. Channel 4’s highlights programme only managed 748k viewers, down from 968k last year, despite the drivers’ title having been won in both years before the race at Interlagos.
However, despite relatively poor figures from Brazil, Sky are expecting higher viewing figures than they managed last year.
At the same time, the organisation of the Brazilian Grand Prix are already looking ahead to a new deal with the Formula 1 to host a Grand Prix there in the future, even though the contract of the circuit runs for another two years.
We’re guaranteed to have races at Interlagos for at least two more years. The legendary circuit is a favourite of many drivers, with the fast Senna S at the end of the straight and the uphill T11 to name a few of the best corners.
Mayor of Sao Paolo Bruno Cova hopes to host the Grand Prix past 2020 by making it a private circuit, rather than public domain.
“It’s important for everyone in the city that the race remains here, because it’s an important part of Sao Paolo,” Covas explained to Algemeen Dagblad.
Leave a Reply