In a surprise development, the NASCAR Xfinity Series has a new TV partner. The CW will be the exclusive broadcaster of the NASCAR Xfinity Series starting in 2025 as Adam Stern first reported with John Ourand.
A surprise move considering that NASCAR was once looking at moving the Xfinity Series exclusively to a streaming service. Now, they have pivoted to The CW, and there is a lot to talk about.
According to Ourand and Stern, the deal is seven years and worth about $800 million. This means that the deal will run from 2025 through 2031, and The CW will pay around $115 million per year for the rights.
According to Ourand and Stern, the deal includes exclusive broadcast rights to all 33 Xfinity Series races including practice and qualifying. The races would be produced by NASCAR Productions, and The CW will be responsible for hiring the commentators.
For comparison, the current NASCAR TV deal, which includes FOX and NBC broadcasting all three national series, is worth a total of $8.2 billion over 10 years (or $820 million per year) between both entities. Nothing has been released regarding the specifics for what the networks were paying for the Xfinity Series or Truck Series. Currently, the two split the Xfinity Series and Cup Series schedule, and FOX exclusively broadcasts the Craftsman Truck Series.
The Xfinity Series has never had an exclusive broadcaster since the series started in its modern form in 1982. NASCAR has had the Craftsman Truck Series on an exclusive broadcaster since its inception with ESPN first, followed by the FOX family of networks broadcasting races.
The CW is a broadcast TV network that was recently acquired by Nextstar Media. According to Nexstar.tv, Nexstar Media currently owns 197 TV stations across the country.
The CW itself has also recently been pushing for more sports programming on their site, including motorsports. IndyCar recently broadcasted their documentary “100 Days to Indy” on The CW. The CW also broadcasts LIV Golf, and The CW also recently inked a deal to broadcast 50 ACC football and basketball games on the network.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series seems to be the next step for this channel in their push for more sports programming. This recent shift in focus has come since the acquisition by Nexstar Media.
The CW also offers a free streaming service on cwtv.com. This does not offer live programming, but it does offer The CW shows. You can also watch The CW for free live on The CW App.
A surprise move indeed, but it could be popular amongst fans due to it being freely available. The Xfinity Series now has a new home, and it could be a good one for everyone.
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