The Foxtel Group has proclaimed record viewing figures for the 2022 Australian MotoGP race.
According to Foxtel, Sunday’s 27-lap thriller at Phillip Island generated a total of 185,000 viewers across its linear (traditional pay television) and streaming platforms (Foxtel Now, Foxtel Go, Kayo Sports).
It is thus the most-watched MotoGP race of all-time on Australian subscription television, smashing the previous record which was held by this year’s Indonesia race by 15 percent.
Its streaming figures are also said to be up by 151 percent relative to the corresponding event of 2019, the last time the grand prix circus descended on The Island.
This year is the first in which Fox Sports/Foxtel has exclusivity for all but the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, of which qualifying and the race for each of the three classes was simulcast on Network 10.
However, the subscription service’s figures were not merely a case of pent-up demand and/or new viewing habits, if attendance at the circuit is anything to go by.
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According to the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, which promotes the event, the three-day crowd was 91,158.
It was therefore the biggest attendance since Casey Stoner’s last home round in 2012, made up of 20,150 on the Friday, 30,811 on the Saturday, and 40,197 on the Sunday.
The turnout came despite shocking weather in the lead-up which saw car parks closed and campgrounds left sodden, plus patchy rain across the three days of track activity.
AGPC CEO Andrew Westacott said, “We’re proud to be back here at Phillip Island and delighted to see smiling faces around the circuit, over what was an incredible three-day event.
“I would like to thank the fans, riders and teams for making the Animoca Brands Motorcycle Grand Prix 2022 a resounding success – we can’t wait to be back in 2023.
“This year’s crowd was the biggest since Casey Stoner’s final Australian race in 2012 and is a huge boost of confidence for Victorian regional tourism.”
On-track, Tech3 KTM’s Remy Gardner scored a point by finishing 15th in his first MotoGP race on home soil while the Ducat Lenovo Team’s Jack Miller was running sixth when he was taken out by Alex Marquez at what was renamed Miller Corner just a day earlier.
Alex Rins rode his Suzuki to victory in a race which saw five lead changes, the last of which occurred on the final lap.
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