Though NBC was said to have offered the IndyCar more money than Fox to retain the exclusive broadcast rights to the top-level American open-wheel racing series, IndyCar decided to go with Fox.
The new $25 million Fox deal, which is still worth more than the $20 million deal the series previously had with NBC, was specifically appealing in that it would allow all 17 races to be broadcast on network television, something that no other premier motorsport series in North America can boast.
In other words, all 17 races are scheduled for Fox, rather than a split between Fox and Fox Sports 1 (FS1).
The previous deal with NBC saw races split between NBC and USA Network (and NBC Sports Network before it shut down), with a couple races even hidden behind the much-maligned Peacock Premium paywall.
On the flip side, NASCAR's new media rights deal offers no such consistency.
Sure, it's worth a lot more, and that alone is an understatement. This new deal, which is worth $7.7 billion over seven years, includes existing partners Fox and NBC, as well as new arrivals Amazon Prime Video and TNT Sports.
Including the two exhibition races, Fox is responsible for 14 events to start the year, down from 18. NBC is responsible for 14 events to conclude the year, down from 20, and Amazon Prime Video and TNT Sports are responsible for five each in between.
But unlike with IndyCar, NASCAR races during Fox's portion of the schedule are split between Fox and Fox Sports 1. In past years, Fox was still responsible for a majority of the races. But this year, just five of those 14 races are on Fox, and four of them have already happened; the other nine are on Fox Sports 1.
As things stand right now, despite there being nine races remaining during Fox's portion of the schedule from now through mid-May, only the Jack Link's 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, scheduled for Sunday, April 27, is actually set to be shown on Fox. The series is currently in a six-race stretch of races on Fox Sports 1.
The same is true for NBC. Last year, the races were split evenly between NBC and USA Network, but this year, just four races are set to be shown on NBC: the regular season finale at Daytona International Speedway, and the final three races of the playoffs at Talladega, Martinsville Speedway, and Phoenix Raceway. USA Network is still set to be responsible for 10, including the first seven playoff races.
All things considered, just nine of the 38 Cup Series races are on Fox or NBC.
And four of those races game and went even before the fourth actual points race on the 36-race calendar.
Fox opened up the year by showing the preseason Cook Out Clash exhibition race at Bowman Gray Stadium, plus the season's first three official points races at Daytona (Daytona 500), Atlanta Motor Speedway, and Circuit of the Americas (COTA). But this past weekend's race at Phoenix Raceway opened up the six-race run on Fox Sports 1.
Granted, the popularity of NASCAR is such that most fans are going to find a way to tune in regardless of whether a race is shown on Fox or Fox Sports 1 (or NBC or USA Network), and this surely played a role in the value of their own new media rights deal.
It also surely played a role in the consideration of when NASCAR and IndyCar are both in action on the same day (and at the same time).
Having said that, the network TV approach taken by IndyCar and Fox is paying off thus far, and in a big way.
The season-opening Firestone Grand Prix on the streets of St. Petersburg drew more than 1.4 million viewers on Fox two weekends ago, making it the most-watched non-Indy 500 race since 2011 and actually placing it slightly above what race fans have come to expect from Formula 1 races in the United States amid its own major American popularity surge over the past five or six years.
Unfortunately, IndyCar is known for having a lengthy break between its first two races, and the next race is not scheduled to take place until Sunday, March 23 at Thermal Club. Can they capitalize on this early-season momentum with their new broadcast partner anyway?
As for the Cup Series, the next race is scheduled to take place this Sunday, March 16 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Fox Sports 1 is set to provide live coverage of the Pennzoil 400 beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET. Fans who have not yet done so can start a free trial of FuboTV now to catch all of the action!