IMSA announces 2026 Rolex 24 at Daytona set various viewership records

According to a release from the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, along with a record 180,000+ attendees over the four-day event, NBC saw an average of 1.1 million viewers, a 49 percent year-over-year increase (via Nielsen and NBC Sports).

It was second only to the 2021 running of the event, which saw viewership peak at 1.2 million. The broadcast also saw a 52 percent year-over-year increase in the critical 18-34 demographic. 

The first hour and the final two hours of the 24-hour endurance racing classic were shown on network television, while the entire event was available to stream on Peacock for US fans. Peacock added 784,000 unique viewers, which was a 102 percent increase.

IMSA's YouTube channel, which streamed the event for international viewers, generated around 3.8 million live views for the Rolex 24. Those numbers were up 30 percent year-over-year, and an impressive 63 percent of those viewers were in the 18-34 demographic as well. The channel also added 229,000 new subscribers in the month of January. 

It's digital footprint across social media grew as well, adding 390,000 new followers during the first month of the year. IMSA's Instagram page topped 1 million followers for the first time, while TikTok surpassed 400,000 and X (formerly Twitter) exceeded the 200,000 mark.

“In all aspects, the 64th Rolex 24 At Daytona was an all-time event,” said IMSA President John Doonan. “I’m humbled, honored and blown away by the incredible efforts of our staff, teams, manufacturers, drivers, partners, our teammates at Daytona International Speedway and most of all our fans, who contributed in so many ways to what was a record-setting WeatherTech Championship race at Daytona and start to our 2026 IMSA season.”

Added IMSA CEO Ed Bennett: "Over the past several years, we’ve followed a clear and intentional strategy to grow the IMSA brand, elevate the event experience and broaden how fans can engage with us — whether they’re at the track or watching through modern linear, streaming or social platforms. To see every one of those areas trending upward is incredibly rewarding. I’m proud of our entire community for helping drive this remarkable renaissance period of growth in sports car racing.”