Formula 1’s return to TV Globo’s programming has already shown an immediate impact on the Brazilian audience. The broadcast of the Australian GP, the first race of the 2026 season, recorded the category’s best numbers in the country in almost five years, even though it was aired during the early hours of the morning.
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The data shows a significant jump in viewership compared to recent broadcasts of the category. The race held in Melbourne surpassed practically all the ratings obtained during the period when Formula 1 was broadcast by Band, indicating a significant growth in interest among viewers.
According to information released by the TV Pop portal, based on preliminary figures from the Greater São Paulo advertising market, the race averaged 6,34 rating points between 1h03 and 2h27 in the morning. During this period, the broadcast achieved a 23,47% share among televisions turned on in the country’s main metropolitan region.
The result represents a wide lead over other free-to-air broadcasters in the same time slot. According to the released data, SBT recorded 1,92 rating points, followed by Record with 1,16 points. RedeTV! appeared with 0,49 points, while Band scored 0,44 points in the same period.
Combined, all other channels measured in real-time recorded an average of 0,25 points. This means that the Formula 1 broadcast on Globo alone surpassed the combined audience of all other free-to-air broadcasters aired at the same time.
The performance also represents significant growth compared to the 2025 Australian GP. On that occasion, when the race was broadcast by Band, the average audience recorded was only 1,6 points.
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As a result, this year’s broadcast had an increase of approximately 296% compared to the previous edition of the race. The jump highlights the impact of the broadcaster change on the category’s visibility in Brazil.
Even with the strong result, the recent Formula 1 audience record in the country still belongs to the 2021 São Paulo GP. The race held at Interlagos, aired on 14 November of that year, recorded an average of 6,9 points.
Still, considering only season-opening races, the figure obtained by the 2026 Australian GP is the highest since 5 July 2020. On that day, the Austrian GP averaged 8,5 points in the Greater São Paulo measurement.
According to advertising market measurement criteria, each rating point in Greater São Paulo represents approximately 78.780 households and about 199.632 individuals.
The released numbers are still considered preliminary and may undergo adjustments after the official consolidation of audience data, which normally occurs on the next business day following the broadcast. Even so, the performance already indicates a strong start for the new phase of Formula 1 on Brazilian free-to-air television.
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