IndyCar’s worse nightmare: NBC Sports Inks 10-Year NASCAR deal (3rd Update)
"For the die-hard sports fan, ESPN is the first place we turn," said Virginia Commonwealth University professor Jon Ackley, who has researched and taught classes on NASCAR's business model for several years. "If ESPN marginalizes NASCAR as they did in the early to mid-2000s, the sport won't be in the forefront, and that has to be detrimental." NASCAR's loss can be IndyCar's gain.
It's time for IndyCar to stop being pennywise and pound foolish. Run to ABC/ESPN now. Run, don't walk. Mordichai Rosen, Los Angeles, CA
07/23/13 A reader writes, Dear AutoRacing1.com, I don’t believe for one second that NASCAR simply went with the higher bidder (and how networks are paying 40% more for the NASCAR product today than 8 years ago now that the NASCAR ratings are clearly much lower than they were then is beyond me).
NASCAR saw IndyCar and F1 getting away from the NASCARized Speed channel and merging together to dominate auto racing on one channel as a definite threat, especially now that Speed is going away. So now they will marginalized that threat once again. Get ready for less TV hours for F1 and IndyCar on NBC Sports Network for sure only to be replaced with more of the same NASCAR stuff we saw on Speed such as “The Wives of NASCAR Truck Drivers" or “The Pets of NASCAR Drivers," you get the picture. I guarantee there is something in their contract with NBC that “limits" the amount of air time other auto racing series are allowed to receive or receive proportionally…monopolization of US auto racing at its finest (well, all racing in the US now…simply ask any motorcycle enthusiast or sports car enthusiast how thrilled they are that NASCAR owns their sport now).
NBC – New Bubba Channel Derek Hughes, Atlanta, GA
07/23/13 Word is that NBC will pay NASCAR $290 million per year for the next 10 years for a total of $2.9 billion. How much do they pay IndyCar? Word is $6 million per year. In other words NASCAR is 48.3 times more valuable than IndyCar. Not percent. Times. i.e. 483% more valuable. Guess who will get all of NBC's attention? It won't be IndyCar.
07/23/13 NBC and NASCAR confirmed details of their new 10-year media rights deal that will see races return to NBC in '15. Deal terms have NBC picking up the rights to the final 20 races of the Sprint Cup Series season, which encompasses all of ESPN's package and half of Turner's six-race package. Seven of those races will be carried on the NBC broadcast channel; 13 will be available on NBC Sports Network. NBC also picks up rights to the last 19 NASCAR Nationwide Series events – four of which will be on NBC and 15 on NBCSN. Turner's other three races, as well as 14 Nationwide Series races, still are available; Fox Sports is viewed as the most likely suitor for these races.
Financial terms of the NBC agreement were not revealed, but sources said it could represent more than a 30% increase over the current deal. Terms also give NBC rights to NASCAR practice and qualifying sessions, the K&N Series, Whelen Modified Tour, Toyota (Mexico) Series, HOF induction ceremony and season-ending banquets. As part of the deal, NBC also picks up Spanish-language, VOD and TV Everywhere rights. By Tripp Mickle & John Ourand Sportsbusinessdaily.com
[Editor's Note: In other words there will be so much NASCAR content IndyCar will be buried and get near-zero attention by NBC. For decades NASCAR has followed IndyCar to every network they have been on and buried them each and every time forcing IndyCar to move elsewhere. Another aspect is that NBC has to pay NASCAR such a huge sum of money every year, they will devote 100% of their effort to NASCAR to ensure ratings are high enough to generate enough revenue to write that check to NASCAR each month. The noose around IndyCar's neck just got tighter.]