NBC Sports Tops All Cable Networks in 3rd Quarter Growth

Ignited by the Fourth of July weekend fireworks that accompanied the debut of NASCAR, NBCSN achieved Total Day and primetime viewership records for the third quarter and the month of September, according to live plus same day data released by The Nielsen Company.

NBCSN averaged 193,000 Total Day viewers in the third quarter (June 29-September 27) - a jump of 130% vs. last year's third quarter (84,000), which ranks No. 1 among all cable networks in year-over-year increase for the quarter.

The 193,000 average Total Day (6 a.m.-6 a.m.) viewers ranks as NBCSN's most-watched third quarter ever and the second-most watched quarter in the network's history - trailing only the first quarter of 2014, which featured live weekday and weekend coverage of the Sochi Winter Games (215,000).

In addition:

NBCSN's third-quarter primetime viewership (307,000 average viewers) ranks as its best ever for the quarter, and is up 148% from last year (124,000).

NBCSN recently completed its best September ever with an average of 280,000 primetime viewers and 161,000 Total Day viewers - up 218% and 130%, respectively, from last year.

THIRD QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS:

NBC Sports Group kicked off its 10-year partnership with NASCAR with 220 hours of trackside coverage from July through this past weekend. NBCSN's live telecast of NASCAR Sprint Cup racing from historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 26 was the network's most-watched telecast ever, averaging 4.7 million viewers.

NBC Sports Group kicked off its 2015-16 Premier League coverage on August 8 and is off to its best start ever with collective viewership on NBC, NBCSN and usa network (561,000 per game window) up 13% from last year's record-setting season. On NBCSN this season, eight matches have drawn at least 600,000 viewers - up from three at this point last year. On August 10, NBC Sports Group announced a six-year extension as the exclusive multi-platform media home of the Premier League in the U.S.

Also in August, NBCSN concluded the most-watched INDYCAR season on the network since acquiring INDYCAR rights in 2009. NBCSN's final six telecasts each averaged 500,000+ viewers - a first for the network.

The Sept. 20 F1 Singapore Grand Prix on NBCSN averaged 510,000 viewers, a record for the race on the network, and continued Formula One's best season ever on NBCSN (viewership up 14% from last year). The Singapore Grand Prix was the fifth consecutive F1 race to average 500,000+ viewers on NBCSN.

In July, NBCSN posted the best viewership for its live morning Tour de France telecasts since 2010, averaging 365,000 viewers - up 27% from 2014.

Coming up in October, NBCSN begins its NHL regular-season coverage with an Opening Night doubleheader on Wednesday, Oct. 7, is the home for NASCAR Sprint Cup Playoff races from Dover on Oct. 4 and Talladega on Oct. 25, and continues with a full slate of Premier League action. In addition, the network presents the F1 grand prix from Sochi, Russia on Oct. 11 and a pair of October Premier Boxing Champions shows.

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