A good portion of the NASCAR Cup Sequence season may solely be obtainable by way of streaming companies when NASCAR’s new tv contract goes into impact in 2025.
In keeping with the Sports activities Enterprise Journal, NASCAR has upped the variety of midseason races it’s trying to promote to a streaming service from six to 10. The summer time races obtainable by way of streaming would come after Fox’s portion of the season ends and earlier than NBC’s rights start.
A midseason package deal of races has proved more durable to promote. Initially, NASCAR deliberate to carve out a six-race package deal. However now it’s buying a package deal that features as many as 10 races within the hopes that the added races will entice new bidders to shut the deal. NASCAR created the midseason package deal with races presently carried by Fox and NBC, that means these two broadcasters could have much less stock within the subsequent offers.
Each Amazon and Turner stay front-runners to select up the midseason package deal, sources say. It’s potential that the 2 may cut up the package deal, with every getting 5 races. NASCAR hopes that one of many media firms will comply with take all the 10 races.
The report additionally notes that Fox and NBC have agreed to re-up as NASCAR’s TV companions. The 2 firms have cut up NASCAR rights since 2015, whereas Fox has broadcast the primary a part of the Cup Sequence season since 2001.
It was inevitable that some NASCAR races could be obtainable solely by way of streaming. In any case, different leagues just like the NFL, MLB and others have been providing choose video games on streaming platforms. However the transfer to streaming could also be extra of a problem for NASCAR than it’s for different leagues.
NASCAR groups are closely reliant on sponsorship earnings, and sponsors need as many eyeballs as potential on their firm logos. Races on streaming companies — particularly within the first few seasons of the brand new media rights deal — will undoubtedly have fewer viewers than these on cable or broadcast TV. Will any new income from the brand new media deal offset the potential issue find sponsors to pay for these races?
NASCAR’s followers are additionally among the oldest in sports activities. The tech divide will be very actual between generations. Are older followers going to enroll and pay for streaming companies to look at NASCAR races in the course of the summer time?
In the event that they don’t, it’s exhausting to see a lot of an viewers for streaming-only races. NASCAR’s viewers has declined considerably over the previous seven years. The 2023 season finale at Phoenix had simply half the viewership the finale in 2016 did.
