According to a recent report from F1 Group, whose function is to keep an eye on the broadcasting of the series worldwide (among other things, of course), Formula One viewing figures dropped by no less than 80 million during the course of last season. Consequently, only 520 million fans watched F1 on TV in 2009, as compared to 600 million in 2008.
The same report showed that one of the main causes that led to this state of events is the fact that most races suffered changes in starting hours, being scheduled later than usual. While Bernie Ecclestone insisted into that direction from the early races of the 2009 season – and being criticized for bringing the “twilight racing” concept into the sport – that decision affected the viewers from other continents.
Of course, the European fans of Formula One benefited from the changes, but the ones from Asia had to suffer from it, as the races many times clashed with other sports (therefore affecting the audience). The fact that Jenson Button and Brawn GP led the championship from beginning to end helped increase the audience in Great Britain, while the title-clinching Brazilian GP recorded the highest audience of the year, 16.2 million viewers.
Things are unlikely to change in 2010 however, as F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone is set to continue his trend of scheduling starting hours for the F1 race outside Europe in such a way that it benefits the viewers on the Old Continent. What might help the series a little bit are the returning/new-coming events of Canada/Korea, which are likely to boost the audience in both the American and Asian continents.
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