Fox has held "informal discussions with NASCAR about a new TV rights agreement that would allow the network to put some of its Sprint Cup races on Speed," according to Mickle & Ourand of SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL. Fox Sports Chair David Hill said that Fox "would like to see some of the 13 regular-season races it televises on Speed." A Fox source said that the company "could ask for as many as six races for the network." If Fox "wants to move regular-season Cup races to Speed before its contract expires in 2014, it would have to amend its agreement." Fox sources "were skeptical such a move would be made before the contract ends." Hill said, "It would be very good for Speed to put Cup races there. You can see that when the All-Star Race is on it, and I’d like to put another couple of races on Speed if we can. That’s just part of the dialogue, so we’ll see." Mickle & Ourand note Speed is distributed in 78 million HHs. The move "would allow Speed to use live NASCAR broadcasts to increase the license fee that cable and satellite operators pay each month," which sources said is currently around $0.30. In addition to talking about putting Cup races on Speed, Fox "has raised the possibility of making NASCAR a stakeholder in Speed and turning it into a joint-venture project." Sources said that those talks "have been ongoing for several years" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 6/20 issue).
