F1 reports 10 percent rise in TV viewership

Formula 1 has reported a 10 percent rise in its TV viewership through the 2018 season, as well as significant progress in building its digital presence online.

In a statement issued on Friday by Formula 1, the sport revealed it had reached 490.2 million unique viewers across the course of the 2018 season, marking a 10 percent rise on its 2017 figures. It is the second straight year this figure has risen.

Much of this was stimulated by a switch to free-to-air broadcaster CCTV in China, allowing viewing figures to triple in that market, while India (+87 percent), France (+57 percent), Russia (+27 percent) and USA (+20 percent) also experienced significant rises.

F1 reached a cumulative TV audience of 1.59 billion across its top 20 markets, a three percent rise on last year, with Brazil, Germany and Italy being the biggest markets for the sport. Its global TV audience was 1.758 billion.

F1 also reported a number of rises in its digital offerings for 2018, with its social media platforms experiencing a 53 percent growth in followers to make the sport the fastest-growing on social media.

New offerings from F1, such as its Beyond the Grid podcast and live Twitter show after select races, reached more than 14 million people.

Data from Nielsen also revealed F1's fanbase grew from 503 million to 506 million through 2018, while IPSOS reported 61 percent of F1's new fans are under 35, and 36 percent are under the age of 25.