JUST IN: NASCAR Approves Shocking $9.9 Billion

NASCAR insiders reveal just how much influence the $1.1 billion-a-year television partners have in the sport, and it’s a lot.

Like other major sports leagues, NASCAR relies heavily on broadcasting agreements to remain financially stable and competitive. The revenue from these television deals is crucial. With such significant sums involved, it’s perhaps no surprise that the networks behind these deals have a substantial say in how things are run.

NASCAR’s new media rights deal, valued at $9.9 billion over a seven-year period from 2025 to 2031, marks a 40% increase from the current deal. This means that NASCAR will now draw an average of $1.1 billion annually from its broadcast partners. The deal spans several major networks, including Fox Sports, NBC Sports, Amazon’s Prime Video, and TNT Sports, with each having a slice of the race broadcasting pie. This includes exclusive rights for practice and qualifying sessions.

Television partners’ influence over NASCAR goes beyond broadcasting logistics. NASCAR reporter for The Athletic Jeff Gluck has spoken out about how these partners are deeply entwined in decision-making processes within the sport.

Speaking on The Teardown podcast (below), Gluck explained:

 

“Unfortunately, we live in a world where TV has essentially propped up the sport. They have a lot of say into what is happening. NASCAR, in trying to be a good partner to these people and keep their relationships going and keep their sport going strong.”

It’s clear that maintaining a strong relationship with broadcasters is high on the agenda for NASCAR. This perhaps comes as no shock, given that TV broadcasting is now the largest source of revenue for the sport. Gluck adds that broadcasters are constantly engaging with NASCAR to determine what changes or initiatives might justify further investment on their part, saying:

“They’re saying, ‘Okay, what do you guys want? What’s going to make you promote it? What’s going to make you sign on for more? What’s going to make you want to invest more?’ This is what the TV networks are telling them.”

Jordan Bianchi, co-host alongside Jeff Gluck, noted just how dominant TV revenues are across all sports. He commented:

“TV in all sports is league’s biggest revenue generator. That’s how they get their biggest amount of money. You can’t turn your back on what your TV partner wants 100 percent…They may have a bad idea…but you can’t say no all the time. You have to be receptive to change and you have to continue to come up with ideas to make you’re sport exciting and evolve.”

The increased funds from the new TV deal will be vital in ongoing negotiations over NASCAR’s charter agreements. These agreements dictate how the revenue is shared among tracks, teams, and NASCAR itself.

Despite a 5% dip in viewership to an average of 2.86 million in 2023, NASCAR secured a higher media rights deal. This may be due in part to the robust demand for live sports content, even as traditional pay-TV subscriptions decline. The deal enables NASCAR to expand its reach across both linear TV and streaming platforms, broadening its audience and maximizing its income from diverse media sources.

Yet, with only a few races slated for traditional network TV, there are some concerns about accessibility as more content falls behind digital paywalls, potentially leading to increased costs for fans.