A scheduling clash with the NFL has dealt a blow to Formula One's viewership in the US, with the Singapore Grand Prix dipping below one million viewers on ESPN. This rare occurrence highlights the delicate balance between sports and their global audiences.
The NFL Factor: A Clash of Titans
The game between the Cleveland Browns and Minnesota Vikings, held at Wembley Stadium, London, resulted in an earlier-than-usual kick-off time for US viewers. Formula One, with its European-centric start times, has traditionally found a morning slot in the US, avoiding the NFL clashes that Nascar often faces during its playoffs.
But here's where it gets controversial: the Singapore Grand Prix, usually a reliable draw, fell below the one-million-viewer mark, the first race to do so since the Japanese Grand Prix in April. This marks only the second race of the 2025 season to experience a year-on-year viewership decline in the States, following the Miami Grand Prix.
And this is the part most people miss: the Singapore Grand Prix has consistently averaged over one million viewers for the past three years, making the impact of the scheduling clash even more evident.
However, 2025 has been a record-breaking year for Asia-Pacific (APAC) races in the US, with an average of just over 848,000 viewers tuning in for the four races in the region. This is particularly impressive given that three of these races took place in the middle of the night for US viewers.
In contrast, Nascar's playoff race at the Charlotte Roval on USA Network attracted 1.54 million viewers, the most-watched Nascar race since the playoffs began at Darlington in late August. This highlights the current audience lull in the series and signals the end of the viewership gap between Nascar and Formula One, which had been narrowing with each race this season.
Last year's race at Charlotte averaged 2.42 million viewers, but since it aired on the main NBC channel, a direct comparison isn't possible.
With four races left in the season, the Nascar playoffs are currently averaging 1.54 million viewers. If this trend continues, it will be the first time on record that the Nascar playoffs average fewer than two million viewers.
So, what does this mean for the future of these sports? Will Formula One's global appeal continue to draw in viewers despite scheduling clashes? And how will Nascar's audience evolve as it competes with other sports for viewers' attention? These are questions that sports enthusiasts and industry professionals alike will be pondering.
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