NASCAR Signs $7.7 Billion Media Rights Deal, Including First-Ever Streaming Exclusive Races

Drivers, start your engines because there is a whole lot of money coming to NASCAR as the racing circuit announced on Wednesday that it had signed a new media rights deal with four different broadcast partners. According to the Sports Business Journal, NASCAR’s new deal with Fox, NBC, Prime Video, and TNT will bring in $7.7 billion. When including the $1.1 billion deal for The CW to take over the broadcasting of the NASCAR Xfinity Series, the new agreements represent a 40% annual increase in media rights revenue.

• NASCAR will air five races per season on Prime Video beginning in the summer of 2025; the first ever streaming-exclusive races.
• Similarly, TNT and Max’s Bleacher Report Add-On will broadcast five races every summer.
• Prime Video will air coverage of practices and qualifying sessions for the first 19 races of the season, while truTV and Max will handle the second half.

The new media rights deal will begin in February 2025 with the Great American Race, the Daytona 500 and it will run through the 2031 season. The first 14 races of the season, including Daytona, will air on Fox Sports channels. Then, Prime Video will pick up the broadcasting mantel with the first five NASCAR races to ever be streaming exclusives.

“We’re thrilled to bring the excitement and power of NASCAR to our Prime members, with five Cup Series races coming to Prime Video each season, starting in 2025,” Prime Video VP and global head of sports Jay Marine said. “NASCAR Cup Series racing is an iconic American tradition, and it will be a sensational addition to the lineup of premium live sports on Prime Video.”

Prime Video’s five races will wrap up the first half of the NASCAR Cup season. As it does with its exclusive NFL games, Prime Video will air pre and post-race shows, featuring highlights and analysis. Additionally, the Amazon streamer will provide exclusive coverage of practice and qualifying for all races in the first half of the NASCAR Cup Series season, except for the Busch Light Clash, Daytona 500, Duel at Daytona, and the NASCAR All-Star Race. All of those rights will stick with Fox Sports.

Prime Video is also set to begin increasing its original NASCAR content, beginning with the upcoming documentary “Garage 56” which follows NASCAR’s entry to the 100th anniversary running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

“With their compelling innovations in streaming multiple live feeds and data-driven insights, Prime Video has quickly become a staple in the homes of millions of consumers and sports fans throughout the country, including many NASCAR fans,” NASCAR president Steve Phelps said. “We are thrilled to pair our proven ability to bring a large-scale audience of passionate fans with Prime Video’s potential to introduce our sport to new viewers utilizing their unique platform beginning in 2025.”

After Prime Video’s five races conclude, TNT Sports will broadcast the next set of five. The races will air on both TNT and the Bleacher Report Sports Add-On on Max. The deal also grants Warner Bros. Discovery expansive digital rights so that races streaming on the B/R Sports Add-On can incorporate new technologies aimed at developing immersive viewing experiences. Bleacher Report’s digital and social platforms will also have access to highlights.

As Prime Video will do in the first half of the season, TNT’s corporate sibling cable channel truTV and Max will be the home for practices and qualifying for the second half of the season. While Amazon is a new broadcasting partner for NASCAR, TNT is not. The cabler first began airing NASCAR races in 1983.

“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,” Warner Bros. Discovery Sports chairman and CEO Luis Silberwasser said. “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.”

“TNT Sports has a premium live sports portfolio with proven, high-quality distribution to millions of sports fans across both cable television and now direct-to-consumer with the exciting opportunities to innovate on Max,” Phelps said. “We are thrilled to reunite with their talented team to bring America’s leading motorsport back to TNT Sports as a key pillar of their live sports programming mix in 2025.”

NBC Sports will then pick up the remaining 14 races of the season. This new deal marks a decrease in the number of games that both Fox and NBC will carry. In the 2023 season, Fox Sports had 18 races, while NBC Sports carried 20. According to SBJ’s Adam Stern and John Ourand, five of Fox Sports’ races will be on the Fox broadcast channel, while the other nine will be available on FS1. Of the 14 races to be aired by Fox Sports, five will be on the Fox broadcast channel while the rest will be on FS1. Similarly, only four races will air on NBC proper, with the other 10 being carried by the USA Network.

While The CW has secured the rights to the Xfinity Series, Fox will maintain the broadcast rights to the Craftsman Truck Series.