More evidence Versus taking IndyCar into oblivion
When the Versus deal was announced by IndyCar AutoRacing1.com was a harsh critic, predicting it would make the series largely invisible with its miniscule TV ratings. We remain the deals harshest critic and the latest evidence published by Sports Business Journal.
While ESPN's ratings have gone up from 2009 to 2010, both total and primetime only, Versus has plunged. Ditto for SPEED. Given these numbers, ALMS was smart to move from SPEED to ESPN and its family of networks. Meanwhile the Versus albatross remains firmly affixed around IndyCar's neck.
TOTAL-DAY VIEWERSHIP
| NETWORK | '10 (000) | '09 (000) | '08 (000) | '07 (000) |
| ESPN | 1,083 | 1,004 | 937 | 869 |
| ESPN2 | 337 | 334 | 325 | 330 |
| Speed | 138 | 160 | 150 | 129 |
| NFL Network | 114 | 97 | 80 | 82 |
| Versus | 98 | 120 | 107 | 89 |
| Golf Channel | 71 | 88 | 77 | 76 |
| ESPNews | 64 | 64 | 66 | 70 |
| NBA TV^ | 51 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| MLB Network* | 41 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Fox Soccer Channel** | 28 | 25 | 67 | n/a |
PRIMETIME VIEWERSHIP
| NETWORK | '10 (000) | '09 (000) | '08 (000) | '07 (000) |
| ESPN | 2,400 | 2,303 | 2,122 | 1,952 |
| ESPN2 | 634 | 693 | 641 | 657 |
| Versus | 279 | 307 | 278 | 225 |
| NFL Network | 258 | 223 | 175 | 196 |
| Speed | 228 | 280 | 273 | 240 |
| NBA TV^ | 131 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Golf Channel | 119 | 147 | 131 | 137 |
| MLB Network* | 95 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| ESPNews | 87 | 84 | 86 | 89 |
| Fox Soccer Channel** | 39 | 37 | 70 | n/a |