WRC Promoter, the commercial rights-holder of the World Rally Championship, has claimed significant increases in viewing figures and broadcast hours as the 2014 season of the motorsport series prepares to enter its final event.
WRC Promoter said new figures issued by sports marketing research company Repucom for the first 10 rounds of the championship, up to and including Rally Australia on September 11-14, show a large rise in both audience and broadcast time compared with 2013.
Total audience across the 10 rallies rose by 35 per cent to 581.81 million viewers, while broadcast time increased by 70 per cent to 7,275 hours.
Most regions saw notable audience increases in comparison to 2013, including Central and South America (up 155 per cent) and Europe (up 34 per cent).
January’s Rallye Monte-Carlo, the opening round of the season, netted the largest audience to date with 86.75 million viewers tuning in, while Rally Finland, running from July 31 to August 3, achieved the highest broadcast time with 880 hours.
In the third quarter, Rally Finland was watched on television by an additional 30 million fans compared with 2013, Rallye Deutschland gained an extra 22 million viewers and Rally Australia brought in 18 million more people than last year.
WRC Promoter managing director Oliver Ciesla said the upward trend was “hugely encouraging” adding that it demonstrates the company’s progress in growing WRC’s media audience across all platforms.
“Increased broadcast hours confirm broadcasters’ appreciation of the WRC programmes we produce and demonstrate we’re meeting the demand for live sport in HD format,” Ciesla added. “The figures show our emphasis to deliver live stages at regular times, such as the Power Stage at midday on a Sunday and Thursday evening city stages, are welcomed by viewers and attract new fans.”
WRC Promoter is a joint operation of the Red Bull Media House company and the Sportsman Media agency. The season-ending Wales Rally GB takes place from November 13-16.