Latest sports TV and social media numbers in the United States
F1 NewsThursday, 30 January 2025 at 03:52
In the United States, sports TV viewing significantly contributes to overall television consumption. According to a 2024 survey, the average American watches approximately four hours of live sports per week.
Given that the average American watches about 35 hours of television per week, sports viewing accounts for roughly 11% of total TV time. It's important to note that this percentage can vary based on individual preferences and seasonal sports schedules.
Formula 1 is flying high as a non-USA series that is starting to compete with the more popular sports in the USA; NASCAR and Indycar specifically. This is thus a good opportunity to analyse sports TV viewership trends and stats in the United States to better understand the future.
Here's a ranking of the specified U.S.-based sports leagues and series by their average television viewership during the 2024 season:
- National Football League (NFL): The NFL maintained its position as the most-watched sports league in the U.S., with an average of 17.5 million viewers per game in 2024. Check NFL.com for more info.
- National Basketball Association (NBA): The NBA's regular-season games averaged approximately 1.6 million viewers per game during the 2023-2024 season. Check NBA.com for more info.
- Major League Baseball (MLB): The MLB's League Championship Series in 2024 averaged 5.35 million viewers, marking the most-watched postseason LCS since 2017. Check MLB.com for more info.
- National Hockey League (NHL): In the 2023-2024 NHL regular season, games broadcast across ABC, ESPN, and TNT averaged approximately 504,000 viewers per game; the NHL's Stanley Cup Finals games have an average viewership of around 5 million. Check NHL line combinations for more information.
- NASCAR: The 2024 NASCAR season averaged 2.87 million viewers per race on NBC, with the Daytona 500 attracting close to 6 million viewers. Check NASCAR.com for more info.
- Major League Soccer (MLS): The MLS Cup Final matches have seen viewership increase, with around 1.1 million viewers in recent years. Check MLS.com for more info.
- IndyCar Series: The average TV viewership per race for the 2024 IndyCar Series was approximately 1.3 million viewers. Check Indycar.com for more info.
Case Study: NHL's big events can draw ten times more TV viewers than the game week average
The NHL offers a glimpse of standout events that can at times be close to ten times the viewership. Playoff games saw a significant rise in viewership, with an average of 1.54 million viewers across networks including ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, TBS, and truTV. This marked the highest playoff viewership in 28 years.
The 2024 Stanley Cup Final was particularly notable, with Game 7 between the Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers averaging 7.7 million viewers, peaking at 10.3 million. This was the most-watched NHL game since 2019 and the largest audience for a non-Original Six matchup on record.
These figures highlight a positive trend in NHL viewership during the 2023-2024 season, with both regular-season and playoff games attracting larger audiences compared to previous years.
Similarly with motorsport. The Indianapolis 500, the marquee event of the IndyCar Series, is one of the most-watched motor racing events in the U.S., with over 5 million viewers. These figures indicate that while flagship events like the Indianapolis 500 continue to draw significant audiences, the series faced challenges in maintaining viewership across other races during the 2024 season.
Where does Formula 1 factor into the USA sports viewership landscape?
Of the non-USA-based sports series, in 2026, races averaged approximately 1.13 million viewers per race in the U.S., with marquee events like the attracting a record 3.1 million viewers.
English Premier League (EPL): During the 2023-2024 season, the Premier League achieved a record average viewership of 546,000 viewers per match window in the U.S., marking a 4% increase from the previous season.
While these figures highlight Formula 1's growing popularity in the U.S., TV live viewership per event is limited to ESPN.
Here's a ranking of the average per-event TV viewership figures in the United States for the specified sports leagues and series not based in the country:
Formula 1 (F1): In 2023, Formula 1 races averaged approximately 1.1 million viewers per race in the U.S., with marquee events like the Miami Grand Prix attracting 3.1 million viewers.
English Premier League (EPL): During the 2023-2024 season, the Premier League achieved a record average viewership of 546,000 viewers per match window in the U.S., marking a 4% increase from the previous season.
Ranking USA sports on social media
- The NBA boasts a substantial social media presence, with its teams collectively amassing significant followings. For instance, the Los Angeles Lakers lead with a combined 52 million followers across platforms, followed by the Golden State Warriors with 43.9 million.
- NFL teams also have a strong social media footprint. The Dallas Cowboys, for example, have a combined following of 16.4 million, while the New England Patriots have around 15.7 million followers across major platforms.
- In MLB, the New York Yankees lead with approximately 14.9 million combined followers. The Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers follow with 9.3 million and 8.8 million, respectively.
- The NHL's social media presence is notable, with teams like the Chicago Blackhawks amassing around 6.6 million combined followers and the Pittsburgh Penguins close behind with 6 million.
- MLS teams have been growing their social media audiences. The LA Galaxy, for instance, have over 4.1 million combined followers, with New York City FC following at approximately 3.2 million.
- NASCAR teams are active on social media, with Hendrick Motorsports leading with a combined following of 2.4 million across platforms.
- IndyCar's social media presence is comparatively smaller. Efforts are ongoing to engage younger demographics and expand their online audience.
These figures highlight the varying levels of social media engagement across different sports leagues in the U.S., with the NBA and NFL leading in terms of follower counts.
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