NASCAR is trying to boost its revenue by offering the rights to special summer package of races to streaming services, and have garnered bids from . Amazon, Warners Bros. Discovery and an anonymous third broadcaster, according to Bloomberg.
The NASCAR summer package will offer six to eight races. NASCAR is dividing its media rights to multiple media partners to increase revenue with offerings on several networks and services.
By expanding access to additional networks and streaming services, NASCAR fans will have more options to catch the races, while it gets more reach. Depending on how the bidding war turns out, some audiences won’t need to sign up for additional services to see the summer races. The new deals come as viewer numbers have decreased by 4% since 2018, averaging 3 million views per event.
FOX and NBC are finishing contract renewals with NASCAR, which expire at the end of the 2024 season. Combined, the networks already pay $820 million annually to air NASCAR races. The company wants 10% to 15% more in media rights fees, according to Front Office Sports.
The CW also is concluding contract renewal negotiations for NASCAR media rights. In July, the network secured the media rights to the Xfinity Series, which consists of over 30 NASCAR. The CW will pay $115 million a year from the 2025 through the 2031 seasons.
Amazon Prime doesn’t offer any NASCAR races, although it has ventured into streaming sports by sealing a deal with the NFL to play Thursday Night Football and the Black Friday game. Warner Bros. Discovery aired NASCAR races on TNT until 2015. If WBD has the winning bid, the network plans to expand sports to its streaming service, Max.
You can stream live races on Peacock TV and the NBC Sports App, which also lets you view past content. You can search for specific races or individual drivers to watch. You can watch live races through Hulu Live TV, Sling, Fubo, and DIRECTV STREAM, which hosts Fox, NBC, and USA Network channels.