When I wrote about NASCAR’s media rights talks a month ago, multiple sources predicted that the racing circuit would have handshake deals by July 4. That’s how well talks were progressing.
With July 4 only a week away, those same sources have moved that timeline back to late summer/early fall. All sides still are optimistic that deals are at hand. But the hold up has been that the negotiations with streaming companies have taken longer to finalize than expected.
Fox and NBC are far along in their talks to renew the first half and second half of the NASCAR season, respectively. The sides have not agreed on a price yet, which always is the thorniest issue. Unless talks hit unexpected snags, expect both broadcasters to remain in business with NASCAR.
Amazon still appears to be a front-runner for a midseason package of races -- akin to the six-race package TNT carried until 2015. But talks with Amazon have gone much slower than expected. Sources said Amazon is interested in the package and still talking. The company has become more cost conscious, as it has laid off tens of thousands of employees and harbors hopes for landing an NBA package when that deal comes up after the 2024-25 season.
Elsewhere, NASCAR appears to have moved away from the idea of selling the full season of its second-tier Xfinity Series package exclusively to a streamer. The package likely will go to a single media company, with some races produced for TV and others produced for streaming. It’s not known yet how that breakdown will look.
