Prime Video Reaches TV-Level Audience in First NASCAR Race

Amazon’s Prime Video hit a major milestone over the weekend by exclusively streaming a NASCAR Cup Series race for the first time ever. The Coca-Cola 600 from Charlotte Motor Speedway marked the beginning of a five-race summer package on Prime Video, and the viewership numbers are looking promising.

The race attracted an average of 2.6 million viewers on Prime Video, a slight dip of 16% compared to last year’s broadcast on Fox. But this is a solid start for NASCAR and Prime Video, considering it was their first-ever race on the streaming platform.

Interestingly, the median age of viewers for the Coca-Cola 600 on Prime Video was lower than NASCAR’s usual audience on traditional TV. At 56 years old, the audience for Prime Video was six years younger than the average NASCAR race viewer. This trend mirrors Prime Video’s success with Thursday Night Football, which attracted viewers seven years younger than the average NFL broadcast.

While Prime Video gained younger viewers with NASCAR, there was a noticeable loss of older viewers, as pointed out by sports analytics expert Michael Mulvihill. Moving to a streaming platform like Prime Video means sacrificing some older viewers in exchange for attracting a younger audience. Over time, this gap may narrow as younger viewers become more accustomed to streaming sports content.

Despite these trade-offs, Prime Video’s NASCAR Cup Series coverage will continue this weekend at Nashville Superspeedway. It’s exciting to see how streaming services like Prime Video are changing the landscape of sports broadcasting and attracting a diverse range of viewers.