Fox Sports and NASCAR closed a new $3.8B TV rights agreement that adds three Sprint Cup races, 14 Nationwide Series races and two years to the deal the broadcaster cut with NASCAR last fall. The $3.8B price tag is $1.4B greater than the eight-year deal Fox signed with NASCAR last year. That eight-year, $2.4B agreement included 13 NSCS races and the entire Camping World Truck Series through '22. The new 10-year deal gives Fox 16 NSCS races, 14 NNS races and the entire CWTS season through '24. NASCAR and Fox declined to comment on terms of the agreement. Between '15-22, NASCAR will collect more than $8.2B in media rights from Fox and NBC, which signed a 10-year, $4.4B deal two weeks ago. The networks together will pay an average of $820M a year, a 46% increase from the $560M that NASCAR currently receives annually from Fox, Turner Sports and ESPN. Sources said that the deal Fox cut with NASCAR last fall gave the broadcaster the first right to negotiate on the first half of the NNS season if ESPN, which currently holds those rights, opted not to retain them. ESPN passed on renewing its NASCAR rights in early July, triggering the clause in Fox’ contract and allowing the broadcaster to scoop up the NNS. The deal with Fox closes out all of NASCAR’s remaining inventory. Fox will air the first 16 NSCS races and first 14 NNS races annually beginning in '15. NBC will air the subsequent 20 NSCS races and 19 NNS races. A total of 16 NSCS races will be shown on broadcast TV. Fox will air nine, and NBC seven. The other 20 NSCS races will air on cable. Fox Sports 1 will air seven and NBC Sports Network 13. Fox’ negotiations were led by co-Presidents & CO-COOs Randy Freer and Eric Shanks. NASCAR was led by Chair & CEO Brian France and VP/Broadcasting & Production Steve Herbst. Sports Media Advisors, a media consultancy headed by former IMG and NHL exec Doug Perlman, as well as law firm Proskauer, assisted NASCAR on the deal.
