NASCAR races on their way to a streaming service?
By Randy Smith
NBC continues to transfer over their motorsports content to Peacock. Could NASCAR be next, limiting the sport to the streaming service?
NBC — particularly NBC Sports, due to the fact that it will be shutting down at the end of this year — has shown recent initiative regarding its streaming service, Peacock.
NBC recently moved IndyCar practice and qualifying session to Peacock Premium, a paid subscription service which costs $4.99 per month.
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Peacock also airs NASCAR programs such as Lost Speedways, a show hosted by NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. which highlights abandoned race tracks. On top of Lost Speedways, Earnhardt will work with 2020 Cup Series champion Chase Elliott in a documentary about the Dawsonville, Georgia native titled Chase.
With a number of motorsports features already moving to Peacock Premium, some NASCAR races could follow suit.
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When asked about NASCAR’s TV deal with NBC, which is set to expire in 2024, and if select races would move to Peacock Premium, NBC Sports Group Executive Jon Miller said that this “may be down the road.”
Miller added that he “would assume and have every reason to think that they [NASCAR] will want be part of the NBC Sports family that are all existing on Peacock” after that deal expires. So while fans can continue to expect to see the majority of NBC’s NASCAR coverage on television, broadcasting races may move to the digital age sooner rather than later.
While there are no set amount of races or particular tracks rumored to move, there are already both ups and downs about this possibility.
Unfortunately, fans would now have to pay more money to see select races, even if that’s the only Peacock Premium product they wish to view. However, many races have had their post-race coverage cut short due to TV time constraints, and NBC Sports Network has had to move to other scheduled programs. This would take care of that issue.
Streaming sports isn’t a new concept, as Amazon will become the exclusive host of the NFL’s Thursday Night Football in 2022. Offering certain races on a streaming service would be similar in nature to that deal.
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So for NASCAR fans to watch the whole season, they eventually might have to show their fandom by becoming a subscriber of Peacock Premium.