INDY 500 Leads To 40% Rise In Overnights For ABC

(From Sports Business Daily)

ABC earned a 6.6/17 overnight NIELSEN RATING for the race portion of the INDIANAPOLIS 500, from 1:00-4:45 pm ET on Sunday, marking a 40.4% increase from last year's 4.7/11 and the highest-rated INDY 500 since a 7.4/21 in 1996, the first race following the split between the IRL and CART.

The last 15 minutes of Sunday's race registered an 8.8/21.

ABC's pre-race coverage from noon-1:00 pm ET earned a 4.1/11, up 57.7% over the 2.6/7 for last year.

Meanwhile, FOX earned a 6.1/13 final NIELSEN RATING for the 5-hour NASCAR NEXTEL CUP COCA-COLA 600 Sunday night, marking a 22% jump from a 5.0/11 last year and FOX' highest rated COCA-COLA 600 since it began broadcasting the race in 2000.

While the presence and solid performance of DANICA PATRICK helped ABC's INDY 500 ratings, viewership also was "helped by the absence of rain delays and a starting time" of 1 pm ET, one hour later than usual."

ABC Sports VP/Media Relations MARK MANDEL -- "It was obvious there was a great deal of interest in this year's race due to the realistic expectations that Danica would do well. We also had great weather and a terrific finish and as a result we had a great rating."

But New York-based MINDSHARE USA Executive Director of National Broadcast JASON MALTBY said of Patrick, "I don't think (the rating) has anything to do with her. It has to do with the base level of interest in IRL. It's pretty much the INDY 500, and then what else is there?"

In California, RANDY YOUNGMAN wrote TODD HARRIS, in his first as the main announcer for the INDY 500, analyst SCOTT GOODYEAR and ABC producers "apparently were caught napping" when Patrick took the lead. The leaderboard running along the top of the screen "showed Patrick listed No. 1 after polesitter TONY KANAAN had made a pit stop during Lap 57. But Harris and Goodyear apparently didn’t notice. We didn't find out until several laps later, after another long commercial break."

In New York, RICHARD SANDOMIR wrote "at three crucial junctures in the last 10 laps, (Harris) and (Goodyear) faltered." Harris did not mention race-winner DAN WHELDON taking the lead from Patrick on Lap 193 until 20 seconds after it happened.

Sandomir -- "That was 20 seconds too late. It would take Harris 30 seconds -- after Patrick was passed by (Vitor) MEIRA, then by BRYAN HERTA -- to say that she was in fourth place. You can't lose site of the basics, especially in open-wheel racing, where cars are tougher to distinguish from each other than in NASCAR."

In Richmond, JERRY LINDQUIST, on ABC replacing PAUL PAGE with Harris -- "Viewers lose. (Page's) professionalism was missed." Harris' "enthusiasm for the event was over the edge."

In Toronto, CHRIS ZELKOVICH wrote Harris "compared (Patrick's) accomplishment to those of AMELIA EARHART and SALLY RIDE." When Wheldon passed Patrick, Harris "let out an audible groan. Of course, Harris may have just been following ABC's lead. They focused on Patrick all day, even when she was near the back of the pack.”

In Houston, DAVID BARRON, during ABC's pre-race show plus the first 90 minutes of the race, "counted an average of one Patrick reference every five minutes, and each reference generally went on for some time."

In Orlando, JERRY GREENE wrote Harris "said many stupid things Sunday because of Ms. Patrick's efforts. One remark was '50 years from now, you will remember where you were.' I seriously doubt it, Todd."

NEWSDAY's STEVE ZIPAY wrote Harris during the final laps "raised the volume in what seemed suspiciously like rooting for Patrick."