{"id":61176,"date":"2018-03-22T09:37:43","date_gmt":"2018-03-22T09:37:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=61176"},"modified":"2018-03-22T09:37:43","modified_gmt":"2018-03-22T09:37:43","slug":"nbc-becomes-new-home-indycar-races-including-indy-500-beginning-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/sports\/nbc-becomes-new-home-indycar-races-including-indy-500-beginning-2019.html","title":{"rendered":"NBC becomes new home of all IndyCar races, including Indy 500, beginning in 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

NBC becomes new home of all IndyCar races, including Indy 500, beginning in 2019<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

IndyCar is no longer a house divided. Beginning in 2019, all of IndyCar\u2019s races will be broadcast on NBC and its properties.<\/span><\/p>\n

The multi-year deal, which NBC Sports Group confirmed Wednesday morning, puts an end to a year\u2019s worth of negotiations and a decade of the series splitting races between NBC and ABC.<\/span><\/p>\n

Uniting the series under a sole broadcasting banner has long been among the top priorities of IndyCar CEO Mark Miles and series stakeholders. Among the biggest benefits is that Miles and IndyCar will now be able to leverage their crown jewel, the Indianapolis 500, to promote the series\u2019 other events.<\/span><\/p>\n

The partnership also increases the number of races that will be broadcast on NBC proper rather than one of its cable channels. NBC will broadcast eight races, including the 500, beginning in 2019, while NBCSN will carry the remaining the events. All races will be streamed lived to subscribers on NBSSports.com and the NBC Sports app.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAll in all, this is a solid deal,\u201d said Ken Ungar a former Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Indy Racing League (now IndyCar) executive and owner and president of Charge, an Indianpolis-based sports marketing consultancy. \u201cThe fact that it\u2019s all within one network group gives it the possibility of speaking to series with a singular voice, and I think to me, from marketing perspective, putting eight races on network is a big leap forward for the series. \u2026 This is a deal sponsors want to see.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

NBC Sports Gold \u2013 NBC\u2019s direct-to-consumer product \u2013 will also supply IndyCar programming. It will stream all non-televised qualifying and practices sessions, all Indy Lights races and full-event replays. More details, including the cost of the Gold offering, will be announced later.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis arrangement brings all of IndyCar to one home, increases our exposure and includes our first direct-to-consumer offer for our fans,\u201d Miles said in a news release. \u201cWe couldn\u2019t be happier to have start-to-finish coverage of IndyCar\u2019s season with the NBC Sports Group.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.<\/span><\/p>\n

s part of this new alignment, the 500 will be included in NBC Sports\u2019 Championship Season campaign, which includes illustrious events such as horse racing\u2019s Triple Crown, the French Open, the Stanley Cup Final, the Tour de France and The Open Championship.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re excited to have NBC Sports serve as the exclusive home of IndyCar, which represents the most competitive open-wheel racing in the world,\u201d said Jon Miller, president of programming at NBC Sports and NBCSN. \u201cWe\u2019re honored to bring the Indianapolis 500, one of the most prestigious events in all of sports, to NBC, further enhancing NBC Sports\u2019 Championship Season. We\u2019ve seen consistent growth for IndyCar on NBCSN in the past decade, and we hope to continue that growth throughout the series by leveraging the television, digital, production and marketing assets that make NBC Sports a powerful media partner.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

IndyCar is undoubtedly hoping to build on its past couple of years of a successful partnership with NBC. According to the series, TV ratings on NBCSN increased three percent last year, averaging about 507,000 viewers per race.<\/span><\/p>\n

Miles told The Indianapolis Star recently that he aims to double IndyCar\u2019s average TV ratings in the coming years and expects that to be possible with so many races moving to broadcast TV. He also expects to increase the viewership for the Indy 500, which has been around a 4.0 the past few years.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat ought to double,\u201d said Miles, \u201cDoubling the ratings won\u2019t happen next year, but that\u2019s our ambition.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Though none of the involved parties have confirmed the exact length of the deal, early indications point to a short-term pact around three years. Miles has said all along that as the media landscape continues to evolve, a shorter deal makes the most sense for IndyCar, so that the series isn\u2019t stuck in an outdated deal.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ungar thinks IndyCar might have hit the sweet-spot with these terms.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA positive deal that is for multiple years creates stability, and stability foster growth,\u201d Ungar said. \u201cOne of the most attractive qualities of this deal is the built-in over-the-top offering. That\u2019s where you\u2019re seeing the big tectonic shifts in broadcasting, is from the old terrestrial model to the OTT model. With OTT built into the deal, it\u2019s less likely they\u2019ll be completely surpassed by technological advances. It\u2019s a deal that has technology in mind. Even if this were longer term, it wouldn\u2019t hurt either partner.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Wednesday\u2019s announcement means that next year\u2019s 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500 will be the first time the Greatest Spectacle in Racing isn\u2019t broadcast on ABC since 1965. This year\u2019s running will mark its the 54th consecutive appearance on ABC.<\/span><\/p>\n

The second race of the Detroit doubleheader, one week after the 500, will be the final race IndyCar race to air on ABC.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have had a wonderful and rewarding relationship with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Indianapolis 500 and IndyCar and it has been our distinct honor to be partners for so many years,\u201d said Burke Magnus, ESPN Executive Vice President, Programming & Scheduling. \u201cWe look forward to the rest of our events this season and wish them all the best in the future.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Source:-http:\/\/sports.usatoday.com\/2018\/03\/21\/nbc-becomes-new-home-of-all-indycar-races-including-indy-500-beginning-in-2019\/<\/span><\/p>\n

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