US broadcast giant Fox has reportedly entered the running to secure rights to show North American open-wheel racing series IndyCar.
The rights to the series have been held by NBCUniversal since 2019, which currently broadcasts on its NBC, NBC Sports, and USA Network channels, as well as its Peacock streaming service.
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That contract, however, is entering its final year for the 2024 IndyCar season, with Fox reportedly set to make a play to take the rights from 2025 onwards.
Mark Miles, president of IndyCar series owner Penske Entertainment, as well as IndyCar itself, has confirmed Fox’s interest to news outlets, however, he did not reveal if there have been concrete contract discussions with any party.
Fox broadcasts motor racing through its Fox Sports channel and already showcases US stock car racing series Nascar, and formerly held the rights to Formula 1 in the country between 2001 and 2012.
Nascar, though, splits the rights to its series across multiple networks depending on the time of year, meaning that from 2024 onwards Fox’s Nascar programming will be heavily diminished after the change to NBC on June 9, which likely preempts their reasoning for wanting sole control of IndyCar rights to bolster its motorsport offering.
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By GlobalDataNBC also reportedly wishes to retain the rights to the series beyond the upcoming season, with as many as five or six other broadcasters, including Fox, vying for the rights.
Having delivered record viewership across its 2023 season, the series will be an attractive prospect for networks, especially considering its relatively low rights cost compared to global properties such as Formula 1.
The 17-race series, which finished on September 10 with the Grand Prix of Monterey at Laguna Seca, had a 2% overall viewership jump over last year’s record across NBC Sports.
This made this season the most-watched since 2011 and marked the third consecutive year of viewership growth.
The season averaged a total audience delivery (TAD) of 1.32 million viewers across NBC, USA Network, Peacock, and NBC Sports.
