NASCAR joined the various sports leagues racing into the future by striking a new rights deal with Amazon‘s Prime Video that will put the auto sports organizer into the world of streaming.
Amazon’s Prime Video will split a group of ten races with Warner Bros. Discovery’s TNT, which is rejoining NASCAR’s rights roster after a period away. Fox and NBCUniversal, which have been NASCAR’s primary rights vehicles in the recent past, struck new deals to carry 14 events each.
The pacts will cover seven years, beginning in 2025 and extending through the 2031 season. Financial terms of the agreements were not disclosed.
The deal is struck as more leagues are pondering ways to reach a younger audience who use broadband video rather than linear TV to watch their favorite sports. The NFL appears to have found a viable model with Amazon Prime Video’s “Thursday Night Football,” and Warner Bros. Discovery recently launched a new programing tier on its Max streaming service that will stream coverage of the MLB, NHL and NBA as seen on its TNT and TBS cable networks. ESPN offers dozens of sports via its ESPN+ hub.
“Our goal was to secure long-term stability with an optimized mix of distribution platforms and innovative partners that would allow us to grow the sport while delivering our product to fans wherever they are – and we’ve achieved that today,” said Steve Phelps, president of NASCAR, in a statement.
Under terms of the deal, both Amazon and Warner will also secure exclusive rights to certain practice and qualifying sessions. Some of Warner’s coverage will stream on Max.
NBCUniversal will also be able to stream races on Peacock, as well as air them on NBC and USA.
