Formula 1 revealed the audience data for its World Championship in 2020 on Monday, in which it experienced “the fastest growth in terms of engagement” from fans compared to other sports, “with an increase of 99 percent.”
Through a statement, Formula 1 highlighted that, according to data from Shareablee, in 2020 his championship was “the second fastest growing sports league on the planet in terms of follower growth, with a total of 35 million. In addition, it experienced “the fastest growth in its engagement, compared to other major sports, with an increase of 99 percent in 2020,” he stressed.
These good numbers reward the bet that Formula 1 made in 2020 to respond to the pandemic with a revised timetable.
“Even though the 2020 season had four fewer races than the 2019 season, Formula 1 has maintained a strong audience position with an average per Grand Prix in 2020 of 87.4 million. Although this has been slightly reduced, by -4.5% compared to 2019, the average per Grand Prix was 87 million in 2016, 2017 and 2018, 80 million in 2015 and 83 million in 2014. Therefore , our performance in 2020 was very much in line with the average of the last seven years, despite the difficult circumstances, “stated the Formula 1 organization.
The championship was held in Europe and the Gulf, due to the health situation, so many regions were left without their own Grand Prix. Race start times were not always tailored to certain markets, influencing audiences.
“However, we have seen good results in several key markets with +43% year-on-year in China, + 28% year-on-year in the Netherlands, + 10% year-on-year in the UK, +71% year-on-year in Russia and + 5% year-on-year in Germany. U.S it also saw a 1% increase, even with no events in its time zone and without the United States Grand Prix. Unique viewers in 2020 were 433 million, “he said.
The cumulative television audience for Formula 1 in 2020 was 1.5 billion, compared to 1.9 billion in 2019.
“This reduction is the result of having 17 races last season, compared to 21 races in 2019. It does not reflect a drop in overall viewership but is the result of having fewer races and therefore fewer events for see on television, “Formula 1 said in a statement.
The highest viewership figure for a race in 2020 was 103.7 million for the Hungarian Grand Prix, 7% more than the same race in 2019. The audience figures for the new races that were added to the calendar in 2020 were 100.5 million for the Portuguese Grand Prix; 98.1 million for the Grand Prix that took place on the exterior layout of the Bahrain circuit; and 89.1 million for the Grand Prix of Turkey.
Formula 1 has also continued to improve its general perception and the satisfaction of the fans.
From 6,000 fans surveyed, 72% think F1 has improved in the last 2 years compared to 52% in June 2019. 68% think the category is in good hands with Liberty Media, up from 56% in 2019.
71% rate their satisfaction with being a follower of F1 with an 8 or more compared to 44% in 2019.
90% of those surveyed believe that the security measures implemented to allow the races to take place have been correct.
81% believe F1 has communicated well with fans during the pandemic, the 73% believe that the championship has handled the absence of an audience well in races and 88% approve of the 2020 calendar.
In Regarding the digital realm, Formula 1 became the second fastest growing sports league on the planet on the main social platforms.
In 2020, followers (in Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Tiktok, Snapchat, Twitch and Chinese social platforms) increased 36%, to 35 million; video views increased 47% to 4.9 billion; and the total participation increased by 99%, to 810 million.
In addition, total video views on the F1.com official website, the F1 app and social media increased 46% compared to 2019, to 4.9 billion; unique users increased 26% to 70.5 million; and page views increased 13% to 1.3 billion.
“In China we also saw very strong digital growth. Followers on platforms Weibo, WeChat, Toutiao y Douyin increased 133% to 1.9 million “, highlighted Formula One, which also boasted of being “Outperforming other major sports in the digital arena, such as LaLiga, the NBA, the PGA Tour and the Premier League.”
The digital share of total minutes (including streaming and digital) has grown from 7% in 2019 to 10% in 2020.
sports
For its part, F1 Esports Series 2020 completed a very successful year with a record number of tuned followers, achieving a total of 11.4 million live streams across all digital platforms, which represents an increase of 98% compared to 2019.
Haas still commanding that points table —@ HaasF1Team are on course for the biggest slice of the 100k charity prize pot with one race to go, thanks to the #FittiForce —#VirtualGP — # F1 pic.twitter.com/q19sAvWZIo
– Formula 1 (@ F1) February 7, 2021
“Last year was an unprecedented time for everyone and Formula 1 had to adapt to the challenges presented by the pandemic. We did 17 races, something that many thought impossible at the beginning of the year. We did it safely and brought excitement and new careers to our fans around the world. The audience figures for 2020 show the strength and endurance of our sport, with 2020 average audience figures of 87.4 million and a cumulative total season audience of 1.5 billion, “said the president and CEO of Formula 1. , Stefano Domenicali.
“We had strong growth figures in China, the UK, the Netherlands, Germany and the US, and we experienced a huge boost from our digital numbers. We only saw a marginal reduction in TV ratings, caused by multiple reasons, but clearly driven by a shorter and more limited schedule compared to 2019. That’s something every major sports has experienced in 2020. We are proud of what we offered in 2020 And we know we have an incredibly strong fanbase and audience platform to grow in the years to come. We are delighted that our fans are extremely satisfied with the sport, our season and the way we responded to the global pandemic. We look forward to the start of the 2021 season after the winter break. We know that our fans are as excited as we are to start competing, “he said. (D)