Motorsport.com first reported on Tuesday night the division of races among the new deal’s broadcast partners, which include Fox Sports, Amazon, TNT/Max and NBC.
Sports Business Journal reports the seven-year deal is worth approximately $1.1 billion total a year – about a 40 percent increase over NASCAR’s current package.
Under the new deal which begins in 2025, Fox will get 14 Cup races annually in the first half of the season including the Daytona 500. After Fox, Amazon’s Prime Video will stream five events, marking the first time NASCAR’s premier series will be exclusively live-streamed.
New partners in Amazon and Warner Brothers Discovery
After Amazon, Warner Brothers Discovery will carry the next five Cup races, which will be simulcast on both TNT and the B/R Sports tier on its Max streaming service (formerly HBO Max). NBC Sports will complete the season with the final 14 races, including the championship finale.
“Our goal was to secure long-term stability with an optimized mix of distribution platforms and innovative partners that would allow us to grow the sport while delivering our product to fans wherever they are – and we’ve achieved that today,” said NASCAR President, Steve Phelps.
“NASCAR has been a cornerstone property for both new and established platforms for several decades. These agreements demonstrate the staying power of our sport and the consistent, large-scale audience it delivers. This landmark deal underscores our collective growth opportunity to drive engagement across this diverse collection of platforms – whether on broadcast, cable or direct-to-consumer.
“With the talented young drivers, exciting new teams and record-breaking racing we’ve seen since the Next Gen car was introduced in 2022, we’re looking forward to working with each of these partners to bring some of the best racing in the world to fans everywhere.”
The new deal also contains a unique component involving Cup Series practice and qualifying sessions, which typically involve a two-hour window each race weekend.
Amazon Prime will carry the sessions from the start of each season through the conclusion of its five Cup races (except for the preseason Busch Light Clash exhibition, Daytona 500 and NASCAR All-Star Race sessions, which will remain with Fox).
WBD will carry these events for the remainder of the season after that with the sessions streamed on Max and simulcast on truTV.
The new agreement will also include expansive digital rights for content streaming via B/R Sports Add-On on Max — allowing for the full use of new technologies to develop immersive viewing experiences — and highlight rights for Bleacher Report’s digital and social platforms.
“We are thrilled to welcome NASCAR back to TNT Sports, and build on our rich, shared history of providing immersive fan experiences that only our world-class team can deliver,” said Luis Silberwasser, Chairman and CEO, WBD Sports.
“This agreement expands our portfolio of premium sports content throughout the Summer and further elevates Max and our leading linear networks. We look forward to utilizing all of our resources to create new opportunities for compelling storytelling that connects with our fans, as we present the thrilling action and excitement on the track in innovative ways throughout the entire NASCAR season.”
Said Phelps regarding the new TNT/Max component: “TNT Sports has a premium live sports portfolio with proven, high-quality distribution to millions of sports fans across both cable television and now direct-to-consumer with the exciting opportunities to innovate on Max.
“We are thrilled to reunite with their talented team to bring America’s leading motorsport back to TNT Sports as a key pillar of their live sports programming mix in 2025.”
NASCAR’s current broadcast deal with Fox and NBC expires at the end of the 2024 season and went into effect in 2015. It was estimated at the time to be worth $8.2 billion over its 10-year duration.
Under NASCAR’s current charter deal with its Cup Series teams, TV revenue is split 65 percent for tracks, 25 percent for teams and 10 percent for NASCAR. That deal also expires at the conclusion of the 2024 season.
NASCAR and its Cup teams have yet to reach agreement on a renewal of the charter system, which is expected to include a change in the revenue distribution with a greater percentage going toward teams.
The Cup series TV deal comes on the heels of NASCAR’s previous announcement over the summer regarding broadcast rights of its second-tier Xfinity Series.
In July, NASCAR announced a seven-year deal with the CW Network to televise Xfinity Series races beginning with the 2025 season. The package is reportedly worth over $115 million a year.
It marks the first time in the series’ history all its races will be broadcast on free, over-the-air broadcast television. Additional content will be provided on CW’s digital platforms.
Most recently, Fox and NBC have split the broadcast of the Xfinity season much like the current Cup deal structure between the two networks.
