ESPN Poised To Have The Highest U.S. Formula 1 Viewership, Ever

The increased popularity of Formula 1 and added races should propel ESPN to the top of U.S. viewership ranking all-time in the United States.

If the suits at ESPN knew something others didn’t when they brought back F1 to their channel lineup in 2018, maybe they deserve a raise. After all, the next year Netflix launched the Drive To Survive docuseries highlighting the season prior, and the rest, as they say, is history. The popularity of the global racing series has skyrocketed in the U.S., and with it, ESPN has become the benefactor.

The now Disney-owned networks have a long history with Formula 1 dating all the way back to 1962 when ABC’s Wide World Of Sports aired the Monaco Grand Prix and continued showing various races well into the 1980s. ESPN took over in 1984-1997 when the now-defunct Speed Channel got the rights.

With the current deal, ESPN does not produce the races but rather carries the British Sky Sports broadcasts. According to a Morgan Stanley report, when F1 decided to gamble on streaming races, and NBC dropped out of the running in 2018, ESPN picked up the rights for free. In 2019, the Worldwide Leader reached a three-year extension to air the races through this year. The financial terms were not revealed but they assuredly were not free. Executives at the network have made it clear that they wish to extend those rights past this season, and for good reason.

As interest in F1 in the U.S. has increased, so has viewership. The 2021 season was the most-viewed season on record, and that will certainly be eclipsed this year. With just two races under its belt, ESPN has already seen record numbers. The season-starting Bahrain Grand Prix with an average viewership of 1,357,737 is the 15th most-watched all-time and third-highest on cable, while last Sunday’s Saudi Arabian GP with 1,445,291 average viewers is ninth all-time and second-highest on cable.

ESPN has the rights to air races on their flagship network, ESPN2, and ABC. While the network informs that they have not yet detailed the rest of the broadcast schedule, there would be a good reason to air the two U.S. races on ABC. Last year two races (the U.S. Grand Prix at COTA, Mexico Grand Prix) aired on a major network.

Based on a brand-new race and circuit in Miami, and the return of the race in Austin at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA), it would seem ESPN is on the cusp of breaking the all-time viewership record for cable and possibly network this year. And if not in 2022, it seems almost certain in 2023 when the new Las Vegas Grand Prix would air in prime time. That would be a significant showing given how fragmentation – increased viewing options – has increased with the audience over the time leading up to now.

The next race in the 2022 Formula 1 schedule is the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, April 10th. It will air at 1am ET on ESPN.

Below are the top U.S. F1 broadcasts by average viewership.