Valentino Rossi's second place at Le Mans pumps up Italian audience numbers

Valentino Rossi is not MotoGP – that mantra is repeated constantly, but the when the Italian is competitive and back in the running as he was at Le Mans yesterday – and however briefly it will be – everyone talks about it.
You just have to check yesterday’s headlines on Italian, English, Spanish and French websites to realize it, Jorge Lorenzo took a superb victory in the wet, but it was the brief battle between Rossi and Casey Stoner that stole all the thunder.

Mediaset lost the bidding battle against Sky Italia to keep broadcasting rights for GP racing from 2014 onwards and the satellite giant will be making it pay-for-view, but seeing the former World champion on the podium again after his long and controversial drought did wonders for the Italian broadcaster’s audience numbers.
Yesterday 5.
362.
000 viewers turned their TV’s on to watch the French GP, with a 30.

52% share (the Estoril GP had 4.
254.
000 viewers and a 24.
55% share) which is rise of 1.
1 million viewers! While Moto3 had an audience of 686.
000 viewers and 8.
60% share and the Moto2 class was followed by 1.

658.
000 people with a 11.
83% share.
We’re really curious to know if this is solely an Italian popularity thing or if a Rossi back in the limelight actually helps raise TV audience numbers in other countries?