NASCAR Streaming Plans Hit Snags as Amazon Eyes NBA Rights, Xfinity Series No Longer Looking to Be Streaming Exclusive
The green flag is waving, but Amazon appears reticent to step on the gas. That’s according to a report from Sports Business Journal's John Ourand, who says that the auto racing league is still waiting to finalize its next broadcasting/streaming deal because of a slowdown in talks with the e-commerce giant.
Amazon is reportedly interested in streaming a midseason package of races from NASCAR’s Cup series, its top level of competition. But the company is being cautious with how it allocates its money for Prime Video, as Ourand says it wants to bid on an NBA package once that league’s broadcasting agreements expire after 2024-25. The NBA is reportedly looking to sell a streaming-only bundle of games in its next deal, and Amazon already has a relationship with the league, as Prime Video streamed more than 80 games in Brazil last season.
Ourand also reports that NASCAR seems to have abandoned plans to move its AAA Xfinity Series races exclusively to streaming. Instead, the package will likely go to a media company that offers both linear TV and streaming, but the specifics have yet to be finalized. NASCAR had ambitious plans to incorporate streaming in its next broadcasting contract when the season began, but they may have been too ambitious.
If NASCAR wants its Xfinity Series to air on streaming and TV, perhaps its current partner NBC would be the best candidate to land the package. NASCAR is expected to renew its deals with NBC and Fox to show the majority of Cup Series races, as they have done since 2015. NBC’s companion streaming service Peacock is one of the leaders in live sports streaming among the subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) world, and the series is already named after Xfinity, which is owned by NBC’s parent company Comcast.
Paramount+ is another logical choice, as its parent company Paramount Global also owns CBS. Such a deal would depend on whether Paramount was even interested in acquiring NASCAR rights, but if it were it could easily parcel up some races as streaming exclusives, and designate others for broadcast on TV.
NASCAR’s current deals with NBC and Fox expire in 2024, so it doesn’t have a ton of time to go out and bring a new partner into the negotiations. The league still plans to stream some of its races in its next deal, but the presence of NASCAR on streaming might not be as heavy as initially planned.
Peacock
Peacock is a subscription video streaming service from NBCUniversal that includes original shows, blockbuster movies, and classic television series. Peacock is home to “Yellowstone,” and “The Office,” as well as original hits like “Poker Face” and “Bel-Air.” You can also watch live sports including NFL, MLB, WWE, Olympics, Premier League, NASCAR, French Open, College Football and Basketball, and PGA Tour. Premium Plus subscribers can stream their local NBC feed in all 210 markets.