J
Joseph_Gallant
Guest
It's official: NASCAR has signed new TV deals that take effect in 2007.
The biggest change: As speculated over the last few weeks, NBC is out. ABC and ESPN will between them broadcast the final 17 Nextel Cup races each season (with most of them, including the "Chase For The Nextel Cup" over the final ten races, on ABC).
TNT, which has carried some NASCAR races the last few years that NBC could not accomodate, will continue to carry some NASCAR action, with six Nextel Cup races during the middle portion of the season including the Firecracker "400" around July 4th at Daytona.
Fox will continue broadcasting early-season NASCAR races; that network will carry the first 13 Nextel Cup races of the season (but sister network FX will not be part of the new TV deal), including the Daytona "500" every year starting in 2007. Since 2001, the Daytona "500" broadcast had alternated between Fox and NBC. Although not stated in the official NASCAR press release, I expect that with Daytona having lights, the Daytona "500" will be moved from the third Sunday afternoon in February to the third Sunday night in February beginning in 2007.
Besides sharing the final 17 Nextel Cup races each year, ABC and ESPN will hold full rights to the Busch series. Four Busch races will air on ABC, the rest on the ESPN networks.
Speed Channel will carry the twin 125-mile qualifying races for the Daytona "500" as well as the Nextel Cup All-Star Challenge race and most of the Craftsmen Truck races (although a couple of the Craftsmen truck races will air on Fox).
All the new deals run for eight years, through the 2014 season.
The biggest change: As speculated over the last few weeks, NBC is out. ABC and ESPN will between them broadcast the final 17 Nextel Cup races each season (with most of them, including the "Chase For The Nextel Cup" over the final ten races, on ABC).
TNT, which has carried some NASCAR races the last few years that NBC could not accomodate, will continue to carry some NASCAR action, with six Nextel Cup races during the middle portion of the season including the Firecracker "400" around July 4th at Daytona.
Fox will continue broadcasting early-season NASCAR races; that network will carry the first 13 Nextel Cup races of the season (but sister network FX will not be part of the new TV deal), including the Daytona "500" every year starting in 2007. Since 2001, the Daytona "500" broadcast had alternated between Fox and NBC. Although not stated in the official NASCAR press release, I expect that with Daytona having lights, the Daytona "500" will be moved from the third Sunday afternoon in February to the third Sunday night in February beginning in 2007.
Besides sharing the final 17 Nextel Cup races each year, ABC and ESPN will hold full rights to the Busch series. Four Busch races will air on ABC, the rest on the ESPN networks.
Speed Channel will carry the twin 125-mile qualifying races for the Daytona "500" as well as the Nextel Cup All-Star Challenge race and most of the Craftsmen Truck races (although a couple of the Craftsmen truck races will air on Fox).
All the new deals run for eight years, through the 2014 season.