The global audiences for Formula 1 in sharp decline

In its annual media report, Formula 1 reported a nearly 10% drop in its global audiences, falling from 500 million viewers in 2012 to 450 million in 2013. The Wall Street Journal also reveals that the report highlights two factors that could explain this significant decline: a second half of the season dominated by Sebastian Vettel and the change of broadcaster in China and France.

The domination of Sebastian Vettel

The first argument explaining the drop in F1 viewership is the lack of suspense caused by Sebastian Vettel’s series of nine consecutive victories between the Belgian Grand Prix and the Brazilian Grand Prix, allowing him to clinch the title as early as the Indian Grand Prix. A situation that, while it may impact the spectacle, is nonetheless the result of the sporting competition that is Formula 1.

The alleged “weariness” of the public regarding Sebastian Vettel’s victories seems to be evident even in Germany, where the number of viewers has dropped by 8.7% between 2012 and 2013, currently standing at 31.3 million. The world champion’s country is not the only one experiencing such a phenomenon, as Brazil, which remains the most important market for the premier category, has seen its audience fall from 85.6 to 77.2 million viewers.

Bernie Ecclestone highlights the uncompetitive nature of the last races of the 2013 season. A statement that seems to echo the recent changes to the sporting regulations for 2014: indeed, the season that will begin on March 16 in Melbourne will end next November with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which, as the last event of the year, will see its points doubled. This regulatory artifice has been introduced with the aim of maximizing attention on the last race by giving it even more stakes.

The change of broadcaster in China and France

However, the report does not only highlight the sporting aspect to explain this decline. Indeed, the 2013 season saw two relatively important markets change broadcasters: first in China, where CCTV, the state-owned public channel, lost its rights to a consortium of 13 regional partners. This was an operation led by FOM aimed at ensuring that the coverage of every race and every F1 qualification would be broadcast live, which resulted in a drop of nearly 30 million viewers in 2013. However, the report states that this trend is expected to reverse in the coming years.

Then, in France, the switch from TF1, a free channel, to Canal+, a pay channel, resulted in the loss of 16 million viewers, dropping to a level of 10.2 million in 2013. This situation is the direct result of the commercial rights holder’s choice to turn more frequently to pay operators, who are willing to spend more than their free competitors to acquire Formula 1.

On the rise side, the report indicates that in Great Britain, after a decrease observed in 2012, the audiences experienced a slight boost in 2013 (+1.7%), reaching 29.1 million viewers. This is also the case in Italy (increase of 2.9%) or in the United States, where the acquisition of rights by NBC and the dynamics of F1’s return to Austin in 2012 allowed an increase from 9.7 to 11.4 million viewers last season.

As a reminder, individuals who watch at least 15 non-consecutive minutes of the sport over the course of a year are considered Formula 1 viewers.