IMSA sports car racing moving to NBC Sports in 2019

IMSA, including its lead WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and feeder series, will move to NBC Sports as part of a six-year deal in 2019.

NBC Sports has already positioned itself as the American leader in covering motorsports. In 2019, the peacock networks will combine to cover the second half of the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series schedule, as well as the full IndyCar slate.

This comes in addition to AMA Pro Motocross, the NASCAR K&N Pro Series, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, and the full Mazda Road to Indy development ladder.

Now, NBC and NBCSN will combine to cover the full IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship beginning in 2019.

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Announced on Monday, the six-year deal between IMSA and NBC Sports includes the lead WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, and Prototype Challenge series.

NBC, NBCSN, CNBC, and the NBC Sports app will combine to cover all the races live, with nine hours airing on the main NBC network. 45 hours will be shown on NBCSN throughout the season.

IMSA CEO Ed Bennett is excited about the changes coming in the new year for IMSA and NBC Sports, according to NBC Sports Group.

"The resonance and gravity of this new partnership with NBC Sports Group for IMSA fans and our stakeholders cannot be overstated. This agreement is the culmination of a comprehensive process to align ourselves with a media rights partner that will capitalize on the tremendous momentum the WeatherTech Championship and IMSA is currently enjoying, and will help our sport reach new heights. Without question, NBC Sports Group ‘gets’ motorsports and our unique premium product. We could not be prouder to call NBC Sports our future partner."

Jon Miller, President of programming at NBC Sports and NBCSN, also expressed his optimism for the new partnership, according to NBC Sports Group.

"As the U.S. home of motorsports, we are excited to present IMSA’s high-quality and diverse racing circuit to our abundance of racing fans. By utilizing our wide-array of broadcast, cable, and digital platforms, we can service IMSA and motorsports fans with more coverage and in more ways than ever before."

The change for IMSA continues their progression since the unification of the American Le Mans Series and Grand-Am Road Racing. With greater manufacturer support, big-name drivers, and increased international team support, IMSA sports car racing continues to grow by leaps and bounds.

It is ironic, however, that IMSA will return to the original home of the American Le Mans Series. NBC and CNBC combined to cover the first two seasons of the series in 2000 and 2001, but have covered sports cars sparingly since. Now, NBC and NBCSN will hold the rights to some of the biggest races in American auto racing, including the Indianapolis 500, the 24 Hours of Daytona, and the NASCAR playoffs.

There will most certainly be a shuffle in how sports cars are covered on U.S. television, including with the talent used. Names like Brian Till, Greg Creamer, and Calvin Fish now have little reason to remain with Fox Sports, as their motorsports coverage will be contained to NASCAR, NHRA, Supercross, and Formula E. Expect many of those veteran names to make their way to the peacock, with NASCAR and IndyCar voices aiding in covering the Rolex 24 and other endurance races. This will also likely allow Leigh Diffey to return to his American sportscasting roots, having served as play-by-play man for Grand-Am on Speed in its early days.

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Are you excited to see IMSA moving to NBC Sports in 2019? Will they find more ratings success on NBCSN than previously found on FS1 and FS2?

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