F1 leads Band to fight for 2nd place, but has 50% smaller audience outside Globo

F1 is in the final stretch of its first season without Globo broadcast in four decades. This year, the modality is raising its new house, the Band, to dispute the vice-leadership of the audience on Sundays, however, it is seen by 50% less viewers than on the old channel.

According to data provided by the website Teleguiado, an audience specialist, the Band obtained an average of 3.5 points from the GPs in São Paulo, the main advertising market in the country. This number is part of the fight for the vice-leadership with SBT, which had an average of 4.5 during the tests. Record obtained 3.8 during the stages of the championship.

The numbers, however, are much smaller than Globo’s, with an average of 9 points.

In five stages (Spain, Azerbaijan, Austria, Russia and Turkey), the Band took second place. Before acquiring the Mundial, the channel reached 1 point when broadcasting international football championships on Sundays.

Throughout 2020, Globo broadcast 16 of the 17 races scheduled on the calendar. According to figures provided by the Rio station, the average audience was 9 points in São Paulo and 8 in the PNT (National Television Panel), therefore around 50% higher than the Band currently registers.

Brazilian television audience is measured by Kantar Ibope Media. Each point in São Paulo is equivalent to 76,577 households and 205,377 individuals.

In the average of the PNT, obtained from the sum of fifteen regions in Brazil, including some metropolitan ones, the Band registered 3 points with the F1. In this measurement, each point is equivalent to 268,278 households and 716,077 individuals.

Band and BandSports director of sports, Denis Gavazzi, sees room to increase the audience with F1, but understands that the numbers obtained show a segmented audience, formed mainly by people who really follow the races.

“F1 added too much to our programming. It is our main product within the Bandeirantes Group’s sports programming”, says Gavazzi. “The category has a qualified audience. It is a valuable audience, which loves motorsport and seeks the Band to follow the races.”

According to a survey provided by the broadcaster, most of the audience that follows F1 is men (57%), over 35 years old (83%), and 28.8% are from social classes A and B, 49, 2% of C and 22% of D and F.

“We’ve been growing, we’re doing more and more publicity work. Our goal is to bring more people to follow F1”, says the group’s sports director.

One of the Band’s bets to captivate viewers is the exhibition of the podium ceremony, something that the Rio station had failed to do. In addition, it ensured the transmission of all 22 stages live on open TV. In recent years, Globo has not shown some evidence due to conflicts in its grid, especially with football.

Hence, even the São Paulo channel’s idea of ​​using the slogan “That’s a Band shows” during broadcasts.

The channel also invested in bringing experienced names who worked in the former F1 home, such as narrator Sérgio Maurício, commentator Reginaldo Leme and reporter Mariana Becker.

Band’s contract with Liberty Media ends at the end of 2022. Also according to the sports director, negotiations are underway with the American group that controls the category for an extension of the link.

This year, the network acquired the rights to air the championship about three weeks before its opening on March 12th.

Sought out, Globo says it has no interest in re-broadcasting the category, but did not rule out the possibility in the future. “F1 is a big event, but it is not part of our plans at the moment, as the rights are not for sale”, he replied in a statement.

It is a movement contrary to what the media group is doing in relation to Libertadores, another event that no longer has TV rights, but for which it has publicly shown itself interested in competing next year.

The channel, which broadcast F1 since 1972 (and uninterruptedly since 1981), did not obtain an agreement to renew the link ended with the 2020 season.

Globo had been looking for a composition since the end of 2019 for the contract that ran from 2015 to 2020. In August of last year, it warned its advertisers (Santander, Itaipava, Nivea, Renault and Tim) that it could not reach an agreement for the renewal of the bond. Advertising quotas reached R$ 500 million per year.

Currently, the Band has four sponsors (Banco do Brasil, Claro, Philco and Heineken). According to the UOL portal, the channel has put up for sale six shares, each for R$ 20 million.

“All the sponsors who are this year are already using their priority period to confirm that they will keep the F1 product for next year, given the delivery and experience that the product delivers to the brands”, says Cris Moreira, Director- General Marketing Department of Grupo Bandeirantes.

The 2022 season will be the longest in the category’s history, with 23 races. The calendar starts on March 20th in Bahrain. The last race will be on November 20, in Abu Dhabi. The São Paulo GP will be on November 13th.

This Sunday (14), the Band shows the Brazilian stage, at 2 pm, and should also broadcast the training on Friday (12) and the sprint race on Saturday (13).