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Two Million Viewers For Formula Renault Uk Racing |
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Wednesday, 02 August 2006 |
Viewing figures for the ITV1 highlights show Motorsport UK featuring Formula Renault UK with Michelin Championship races average at more than 500,000 for the first four episodes of the 2006 season. A total of 2,026,000 people have tuned in to watch the UK’s most prestigious one-make single-seater series with more than half the season still to come.
Motorsport UK is scheduled in the midnight time-slot on Tuesday nights, showing highlights from the British Touring Car Championship support package. Renault Sport UK has negotiated a 40% share of available airtime for its two Championships, with Formula Renault UK only marginally behind the ELF Renault Clio Cup in the ratings battle.
Coverage of the opening round of the Formula Renault UK season at Brands Hatch drew a peak audience of 302,000, while highlights of the second race from the same meeting, on Sunday, 9th April, attracted a massive 871,000 viewers. Action from the rain-soaked round four at Oulton Park was watched by 488,000 people and highlights of round six from the high-speed Thruxton circuit gripped 365,000 viewers.
The figures represent a doubling of the audience for the series compared to 2005, when an average of 249,500 watched as McLaren Autosport Young Driver award winner Oliver Jarvis won the title. Audience figures for Motorsport UK have increased for four consecutive years and programme producers are confident this trend will continue. Programme repeats typically entice 25% of the original audience, so an estimated 2,500,000 people have followed the Formula Renault UK this season.
In addition to coverage on ITV1, satellite channel Motors TV continues to carry a live broadcast of every Sunday race held at BTCC meetings during the season. Audience figures for the shows last year peaked at around 20,000 in the UK, however the channel is available in more than 50 countries worldwide. Each of these races is repeated on Motors TV twice more, drawing approximately 25% of the original audience.
Commenting on this season’s new agreement with Granada Sport that guarantees increased coverage, Championship Manager Simon North said: “I’m delighted that Formula Renault UK continues to attract strong
audiences and this vindicates Granada’s decision to increase its
coverage of the Championship. The series is renowned for close,
competitive racing and I hope that motorsport fans will enjoy watching
the season’s battles unfold.”
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 06 January 2007 )
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