Amazon, TNT Snag Partial NASCAR Rights as Stock Car Circuit Enters Streaming Era

Rick Porter
·4 min read
6

NASCAR is betting on streaming in its next media rights package.

The auto racing circuit has finalized a seven-year deal for its Cup Series with four media companies: Fox Sports and NBC Sports will continue to carry the majority of the 38 annual races, but NASCAR is also adding Amazon’s Prime Video and Warner Bros. Discovery’s TNT to the mix. The new deal is worth $7.7 billion across its seven-year span, a 40 percent increase over the current agreement. It’s set to begin in 2025 and runs through 2031.

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Fox and NBC will each have 14 races per season, and as is the case with the current deal, Fox Sports will have the opening portion the season, beginning with the Daytona 500. NBC Sports will have rights to the final 14 races, including the Cup Series playoffs and championship race.

In between, though, Prime Video and TNT will each have exclusive rights to five races per season (both outlets’ set of contests will run in consecutive weeks). Prime Video will be the first streaming-exclusive partner for NASCAR and adds a second major U.S. sport to its portfolio alongside its Thursday night NFL package. The TNT races will also stream live on Max as part of the latter’s B/R Sports add-on, and TruTV and Max will also carry practice and qualifying sessions during the second half of the season.

“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,” NASCAR president Steve Phelps said in a statement. “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.”

The deals for the Cup Series follow a separate agreement between NASCAR and The CW that will see the latter gain rights to the Xfinity Series, the level below the Cup, starting in 2025.

TNT Sports (formerly Turner Sports) has a long history with NASCAR, having aired races on both TBS and TNT from 1983-2014. As part of the deal, Bleacher Report will feature NASCAR content across its platforms throughout the racing season.

“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 of Warner Bros. Discovery 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.”

In addition to its five exclusive races, Prime Video will also stream practice and qualifying sessions for the first half of the season (with the exceptions of the Busch Light Clash, Daytona 500 and NASCAR All-Star Race, which remain with Fox Sports).

“NASCAR is the most popular motorsport in the country, and we can’t wait to deliver Cup Series racing to Prime members in the U.S. for the first time,” said Jay Marine, vp and global head of sports for Prime Video. “We are excited to find ways to get NASCAR fans closer to the racing than ever before, and we are proud to contribute to the growth of the sport in the years ahead.”

As for NASCAR’s existing TV partners, Fox will feature five races and NBC four on the broadcast networks, with the remainder running on FS1 and USA (Peacock will also stream races live for the NBC Sports portion of the season). Fox’s package also includes live events for the Craftsman Truck Series for the entirety of its season, all of which airs on FS1.

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