Fox Sports is reportedly interested in bolstering its motorsports rights portfolio with IndyCar.
Per Racer, Fox “is taking a hard look” at acquiring IndyCar’s rights.
IndyCar has been with NBC for years, signing its latest deal with the company in the summer of 2021. Prior to re-upping with NBC, CBS was thought of as the most likely home for IndyCar. However, “neither CBS nor ESPN have had serious discussions” with IndyCar back in 2021 while Fox’s conversations were described as “preliminary and not serious,” leading to the eventual renewal with NBC.
The circuit is coming off its best average viewership in 12 years and its rights are up after the 2024 season, which begins in March.
IndyCar/Penske Entertainment CEO Mark Miles confirmed Fox’s interest in a statement to Racer.
“On FOX, I can confirm that they have been interested,” IndyCar/Penske Entertainment CEO Mark Miles told RACER. “They’ve been in discussions with us from when we first began the process to market our rights for 2025. They’re fans of IndyCar and the Indianapolis 500 race. They built a reputation for doing a great job in the way they tell stories and in the way they produce events. I think they’re eager to see what they could do in that regard with the 500 and with IndyCar.”
However, he also said that NBC and various other companies also expressed interest in the circuit’s media rights.
Like FOX, NBC and other network, cable, and streaming entities — believed to be six or seven in total — have registered a desire to earn a new deal with the series that debuted at the 1911 Indy 500.
“FOX continues to be in discussions with us and there’s a regular cadence of communication with them and others,” Miles added. “We’ll see where it goes.”
If Fox does land IndyCar’s rights, it would lengthen the company’s motorsports coverage. The company’s new deal with NASCAR, which begins in 2025, only covers the first 14 races of the season. A deal with the series would allow Fox to air live racing into September, further bolstering its lineup of live sports. However, commitments to other sports (including the NFL and college football at the end of the IndyCar season and international soccer over the summer) could force races to cable, not to mention the scheduling conflicts early in the season with Fox’s NASCAR package.
[Racer]
