10/04/2006
NEWS STORY
According to a telephone survey carried out by the Roy Morgan Sports Monitor, just 4.9 million Australians aged 14 and older watched the Formula One event on April 2. This compares with the Melbourne Cup (horse racing) and Australian Open men's final (tennis), which both attracted over 10 million viewers.
Indeed, only 565,000 Australians watched the entire race, though almost a million tuned in for the following day's Australian Rules football match between Collingwood and Adelaide.
The Grand Prix drew the highest share in Victoria, where around 40 percent of the population tuned in, while in Tasmania the share hit 35 percent. In most other states less than 30 percent watched the race.
"With the Melbourne Grand Prix's future in question these audience figures make interesting reading," said Gary Morgan of the Roy Morgan Sports Monitor, according to AAP. "There remains a significant challenge to marketers of the Grand Prix to increase the event's audience outside of Victoria.
"There is no doubt that the Commonwealth Games sapped the enthusiasm of Australian sports-watchers," he added.
The telephone poll surveyed more than 650 people across Australia.