(Motorsport-Total.com) – The Italian Grand Prix delivered rather subdued viewer numbers for the Formula 1 broadcasters in the German-speaking region. Sky remained significantly below its previous year’s figures in Germany, continuing a negative trend from recent races. ServusTV also lost viewers in Austria compared to 2025. However, the channel again achieved high market shares. Here are the current numbers.
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Sky reached 569,467 viewers on linear TV during the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday. This corresponded to a market share of 6.4 percent. According to the broadcaster, an additional 175,396 viewers watched via OTT, i.e., internet-based distribution channels. Combined, the figures reported by the broadcaster total 744,863 viewers.
For comparison with previous years, however, only the linear TV reach is relevant. And here the balance is clearly negative: in 2025, 729,000 viewers still followed the Monza race on Sky. Within one year, this means a loss of around 160,000 viewers or 21.9 percent.
This is not a single outlier. Sky has been below the respective previous year’s figures in Monza for the fourth consecutive Formula 1 race. Overall, the pay-TV broadcaster recorded a decline compared to the previous year for the sixth time in the 2026 season.
At least Monza was slightly above the current season level. Including the Italian Grand Prix, Sky reached an average of 555,300 linear viewers per race in 2026. The linear Monza reach exceeded this value by over 14,000 viewers or 2.6 percent.
Also in the longer-term Monza comparison, 2026 ranks below most comparison values from previous years: in 2024, Sky reached 525,000 viewers, in 2023 it was 640,000. In 2022, even 800,000 people tuned in, and in 2021 it was 615,000.
ServusTV remains slightly above the season average
In Austria, ServusTV broadcast the Monza weekend. The race on Sunday reached 491,000 viewers on linear TV.
Thus, ServusTV also remained below its previous year’s figure: in 2025, 553,000 viewers followed the Monza race on the same channel. This corresponds to a decrease of 62,000 viewers or 11.2 percent.
Due to the rotation of Formula 1 races between ServusTV and ORF, there are only a few direct comparisons with the previous year for ServusTV this season. But the existing balance is clearly negative so far: with Monza, both direct previous year comparisons for ServusTV are negative.
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The other concerns the Canadian Grand Prix. In Montreal, ServusTV had reached 623,000 viewers in 2025, while in 2026 it was 467,000. This meant a decline of 156,000 viewers or about 25 percent.
Despite the renewed year-on-year decline, Monza was slightly above the current season average. Including the Italian Grand Prix, ServusTV reaches an average of 480,100 linear viewers for its Formula 1 races in 2026. The 491,000 viewers in Monza are 10,900 viewers or about 2.3 percent above this.
While the absolute reach decreased compared to the previous year, ServusTV achieved exceptionally high market shares with Formula 1. During the race, the channel reached 45 percent among viewers aged twelve and older. Among 12- to 49-year-olds, it was even 49 percent. Thus, nearly half of the TV usage of this age group during the race was accounted for by the Formula 1 broadcast on ServusTV.
Additionally, the channel reported 230,000 views on ServusTV On, its streaming service. Calculated together, linear viewers and ServusTV On views total 721,000.
Qualifying: RTL with the largest absolute reach
During qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix, RTL achieved the largest linear reach among the broadcasters considered here. On average, 644,000 viewers followed the time trial in Monza on the Cologne channel. This corresponded to a market share of 6.9 percent. Among 14- to 59-year-olds, there were 192,000 viewers and a 5.8 percent market share, and among 14- to 49-year-olds, 91,000 viewers and 6.0 percent.
Thus, RTL was clearly ahead of the other two broadcasters in absolute TV reach. ServusTV reached 215,000 viewers in Austria, with a market share of 25 percent among those aged twelve and older and 27 percent among 12- to 49-year-olds. Additionally, there were 79,325 views on ServusTV On.
Sky reached 169,257 linear viewers in Germany and a 1.8 percent market share. Another 85,067 viewers were on OTT, bringing Sky’s total including streaming to 254,324 viewers.
Who broadcasts the Formula 1 premiere in Madrid
The next Formula 1 race weekend in Madrid will be covered by two TV broadcasters in Germany: besides Sky, which as usual shows all sessions, RTL will also report live on qualifying and the Grand Prix on free TV. In Austria, ORF will again take over for the entire weekend, and in Switzerland, qualifying and the race will be shown live on SRF.
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