Live viewing powers Formula One to biggest total audience in five years

LONDON, March 4 : Formula One recorded its biggest total audience in five years last season with a surge in live viewing, according to a report released by Nielsen Sports on Wednesday.

The report, ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix this weekend, registered a total cumulative audience of 1.83 billion, up 6.8 per cent on 2024.

The average audience per grand prix (excluding YouTube) was 76.1 million and the highest since 2020.

Race live audiences were up 19.8 per cent, with live qualifying showing a 22.8 per cent increase and practice 24.9 per cent up.

McLaren won both titles last year with Lando Norris ending Red Bull rival Max Verstappen's run of four in a row in a battle that went down to the wire in Abu Dhabi. 

“Formula One delivered the largest audience in five years," said Nielsen's market lead for sports in the UK and Ireland Andy Milnes.

"Data also highlights that modern sports valuation is no longer simply aboutreach. It is about harmonising feeds, platforms, formats and exposure density in a way thatensures global totals are both accurate and commercially meaningful."

Nielsen said linear broadcasters still accounted for more than 75 per cent of total audience but the share delivered by Over-The-Top (OTT) sources online had nearly doubled over the past five years.

It added that the average amount of time sponsors were visible during race weekends had increased by more than 90 per cent since 2020, with almost 600 different brands having exposure during an F1 broadcast in 2025.

Formula One remained the most watched motorsport series globally, with an average audience per Grand Prix 3.1 times greater than its closest competitor MotoGP, also controlled by Liberty Media.

Italy, Britain and Germany were the three