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It looks like NASCAR can move Xfinity Racing series exclusively for the streaming company, according to multiple sources.
At least two companies have expressed interest in that secondary package. NASCAR is shopping the midseason NASCAR Cup race to streaming companies in a six-race package. TNT He carried it until 2014. Amazon It is considered a strong candidate to get these streaming packages.
Nothing is close to being finalized, but sources predict that NASCAR will have a handshake agreement on the new distribution and streaming deals before the July 4th holiday.
NASCAR media contacts. Fox And NBC Running at the end of next season. The racing circuit’s exclusive negotiating window ended earlier this month, and NASCAR executives spent the past three weeks in talks with media and technology companies seeking the rights.
NASCAR Xfinity Series racing could move to an all-streaming package when the new media deal begins in 2025.Getty Images
Fox and NBC are deep in talks to renew their deal, with Fox keeping the first half of the season with the Daytona 500 and NBC keeping the second half of the season with the NASCAR game.
The move to streaming marks something of a sea change for NASCAR, although it has not made any exclusive streaming deals to date. Peacock He has also impersonated a few NBC races.
There’s a reason for that: NASCAR cut its media deals with Fox and NBC a decade ago, before video streaming began. NASCAR’s current media deal was negotiated at the height of cable and satellite television, reaching more than 100 million homes. Today this number is about 80 million houses.
Given the financial importance of sponsorships with NASCAR teams, circuit managers prioritize broadcast television access to championship races.
NASCAR executives have expressed their willingness to host a race for a streaming company in mid-summer. NASCAR’s mid-season races generally post strong TV audiences with less competition. But television viewership drops significantly during the summer, and NASCAR executives believe that switching to streaming in the middle of the summer will cut into large viewership in spring or fall races.
The creation of these new packages — along with the deep pockets of streamers looking to add to the sport’s rights portfolio — should help NASCAR see a significant increase in the average annual value of its current deal, which is $820 million a year.
Over the past several years, leagues like the NFL and NHL have seen their rights payments double, thanks in part to their digital rights. The NFL’s “Thursday Night Football” has sold about $1 billion a year to Amazon ESPN+ He will play a big role in the NHL deal.
At the same time, the sources said Amazon is interested in NASCAR rights to boost Amazon Prime subscriptions based on NASCAR’s fan base.
John Ourand can be reached at jourand@sportsbusinessjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter. @Ourand_SBJ And read the weekly newsletter and listen to the weekly podcast.
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