The Fox Sports division of US network Fox has extended and expanded its multi-platform rights agreement with the Nascar motor-racing series for two additional seasons beyond 2022.
Fox’s new deal begins in 2015 and adds exclusive rights to three additional races from the top-tier Sprint Cup Series and 14 events from the second-tier Nationwide Series on an annual basis.
The agreement comes after Fox in October sealed an eight-year rights extension, from 2015 to 2022, with Nascar.
That agreement allowed Fox Sports to continue to show the flagship Daytona 500 race and 12 other races from the Sprint Cup every year, as well as other Nascar events such as the Sprint All-Star Race, the Daytona Shootout, the Duel at Daytona and the entire lower-tier Camping World Truck series.
NBC Sports Group, operated by US media company NBCUniversal, last month agreed a 10-year rights deal, from 2015 to 2024, with Nascar.
That agreement granted NBCUniversal exclusive rights to the final 20 Sprint Cup Series races every year, as well as the final 19 events from the second-tier Nationwide Series, some Nascar regional and touring series events and other live content.
The addition of the new Fox extension means that Nascar’s television rights are now secure through 2024.
Financial terms of the two deals have not been disclosed. However, the Los Angeles Times newspaper said NBCU’s agreement is valued at $4.4bn (€3.4bn), while the SportsBusiness Daily website said the amended Fox deal is worth $3.8bn – putting the combined values of Nascar’s new rights deals at $8.2bn.
Fox Sports began broadcasting live Nascar races in 2001. Fox Sports 1, the new national pay-television sports channel that will be launched by Fox on August 17, will open with a live broadcast of the Camping World Truck Series race from Michigan International Speedway as the channel’s first-ever live event.
Under the terms of Nascar’s new rights agreements with Fox and NBCU, from 2015 the organisation’s top two series will be broadcast on the networks of the former in the first half of the season and the latter in the second half.
Nascar vice-president of broadcasting and productions Steve Herbst told the Nascar website: “You know week to week exactly where and when your race is going to be. It creates a good flow and good balance throughout the season… on network and cable.”