SUNRISE, FL– According to Nielsen Media Research, Fox Sports Net's originally produced NASCAR programming achieved significant ratings growth in the Tampa/St. Petersburg market during the first month of the 2002 NASCAR season.
NASCAR THIS MORNING, Fox Sports Net's 90-minute in-depth race preview that airs Sundays at 10:30am, has outperformed all other NASCAR programming on the regional network in the Tampa/St. Petersburg DMA. The program earned a 1.11 average household rating through the first four episodes of the 2002 season, a 77% jump over last season's 0.63 average for the same time period.
Average household ratings for Fox Sports Net's Friday afternoon coverage Winston Cup Qualifying through the first two weeks of the season have increased 45% in the Tampa/St. Petersburg market when compared to last year. Qualifying for the Subway 400 in Rockingham and for the UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400 in Las Vegas averaged a .96 household rating this season, compared to last season's .66 rating. Winston Cup Qualifying continues on Fox Sports Net Florida this Friday, March 22 at 3:00pm live from Bristol, Tennessee.
"It should be no surprise that ratings for our NASCAR programming continue to make significant gains in the Tampa/St. Petersburg area," said Jeff Genthner, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Fox Sports Net. "We are committed to delivering the highest quality programming to our viewers, and based on the ratings, Fox Sports Net's NASCAR coverage is exactly what viewers in Tampa and throughout Florida want to see."
Average household ratings in the Tampa/St. Petersburg market have also shown strong gains for Fox Sports Net's TOTALLY NASCAR, the news source for race fans airing weeknights at 6:00pm, NASCAR TECH, airing Sunday mornings at 10:00am, and the re-vamped NASCAR VICTORY LANE, presenting a unique portrait of NASCAR drivers Sunday nights at 9:00pm.
Fox Sports Net Florida reaches more than 3.9 million households in Florida. Fox Sports Net Florida is managed by Rainbow Sports Networks, a division of Cablevision's Rainbow Media Holdings, Inc. Fox Sports Net Florida's programming includes Major League Baseball's Florida Marlins and Tampa Bay Devil Rays; the National Hockey League's Florida Panthers; the University of Miami, and the University of South Florida, along with select NASCAR and PGA Tour coverage.
Fox Sports Net reaches more than 78 million households nationwide and is a service of National Sports Partners, equally owned by Cablevision's Rainbow Media Holdings, Inc. and Fox. Rainbow Sports Networks incorporates Rainbow's 50% ownership of Fox Sports Net and Fox Sports National Advertising, and the ownership and management of Fox Sports Net regional networks in five of the nation's largest markets: Chicago, Florida, Ohio, New England and San Francisco.
Source for ratings information: Nielsen Media Research, Inc 2002. One ratings point equals 15,077 households in the Tampa/St. Petersburg market.