(Motorsport-Total.com) – The 2026 Barcelona-Catalonia Grand Prix was the best-attended Formula 1 race weekend at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in terms of on-site spectators. At least for Sky in Germany, TV viewer interest was also greater than in previous years: This year’s race was watched by 632,000 fans on Sky TV and another 150,000 viewers via stream.
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These are good numbers for the German pay-TV broadcaster: In 2026, only the Miami race with 735,000 TV viewers performed better than Barcelona. 632,000 viewers are also significantly above the current season average of around 520,000 viewers per live broadcast.
The year-on-year comparison is also positive for Sky: After two years of declining ratings for the Grand Prix, the pay-TV channel has now turned the tide and improved by over 110,000 viewers in Barcelona. However: In 2025, RTL had broadcast the race simultaneously on free-to-air TV and probably cost Sky reach with its 1.73 million viewers.
In Austria, the public broadcaster ORF remained just above the current season average of around 508,000 viewers per live broadcast with 511,000 viewers. For the broadcaster, it was the weakest Barcelona race in the past five years and the second consecutive decline in ratings.
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At least after two Grands Prix in the mid-400,000 range, ORF has now jumped back over the half-million mark, as at the beginning of the 2026 season. The market share of 46 percent was also within the expected range.
RTL was only partially involved in Barcelona over the weekend: The free-to-air broadcaster only broadcast the qualifying live and did not air the Grand Prix. No figures are available yet for RTL’s qualifying performance.
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In Germany, Sky is set as the exclusive Formula 1 television partner for the broadcast of the Austrian Grand Prix. Sky shows all sessions live. It is not yet known whether RTL will broadcast the qualifying or the qualifying and the race on free-to-air TV. In Austria, the broadcast switches to ServusTV, and in Switzerland, SRF is live as always.
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