It is no secret how NASCAR has struggled with its viewership this season. With the TV ratings taking a hit time and again this campaign, it has been a growing concern for the sport. In view of this, NASCAR came up with an interesting solution to address the issue. While that could have turned out beneficial for billionaire Jeff Bezos, the governing body’s latest decision has dealt him a major blow.

The success story of Bezos is well-known to everyone. What’s more public about him is his willingness to experiment and venture out into different sectors. While NASCAR has always been a tempting prospect for many, Bezos was also enticed to get associated with the sport.

NASCAR stuns Jeff Bezos with an unexpected move in their latest announcement

Earlier this year in May, a lot was rumored about NASCAR’s media rights deals. According to Sports Business Journal (SBJ), the Xfinity Series’ media rights were up for grabs. In fact, it was reported that at least two streaming companies were in to snap up these exclusive rights.

The current deal saw the Xfinity Series packed together with the Cup Series rights all courtesy of a $8.2 billion deal between Fox Sports, NBC Sports, and NASCAR. While this deal was signed in 2014, it is set to expire next year as it closes out on its ten-year agreement.

Having seen how other sports have performed well on streaming platforms, NASCAR is now tempted to offer more packages to streaming platforms. In fact, as per Sports Pro Media, Jeff Bezos’s Amazon was leading the race to win the Xfinity media rights deals.

As per MacroTrends, Amazon boasts a net worth of more than $1200 billion to date. While it is one of the powerhouses in the streaming arena, NASCAR’s latest decision took aback Jeff Bezos. The decision saw NASCAR handing the Xfinity media rights to The CW in a seven-year deal, starting from 2025.

With this deal in place, fans can now witness all 33 Xfinity Series races along with the practice and qualifying sessions live on The CW Network. What’s more amazing is that The CW is completely free and available to 100 percent of households in the United States.

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While it is a big blow to Bezos’s aspirations, it is a massive step for NASCAR to promote its lower-tier series. Having said that, the fans shared some interesting perspectives on this announcement.

NASCAR’s mega-deal involving The CW gets fans’ seal of approval

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To be fair, not many expected The CW to come out as the rights deal winners here. The broadcasting network, paying a reported figure of $115 million a year as per The Athletic, must have been too good for NASCAR to reject. Safe to say, securing around $800 million for a second-tier series was an impressive move from the governing body.

While the commercials in the deal have been amazing, so have the fans’ reactions. Hearing this unexpected announcement, many went gaga on Twitter about it.

“One dedicated broadcast partner for a series has to be a good thing. I like this move.”

“That’s fantastic. They have a free app in the play store were right now you can watch free the Indy series ‘100 days to Indy’ wich is phenomenal.”

“Wait, I’m going to be able to consistently watch on one channel without cable or another streaming service?  Seems like a win.”

“Hopefully Nascar moves all their races away from cable TV. Having races available over the air makes it easier for everyone to watch.”

“I think going to the CW is a great move. If you have access to television at all, you’ll be able to watch it. It keeps the older generation involved, and I think that matters in NASCAR more than just about any other sport”

Clearly, the deal has brought out positive emotions from the fans. While Bezos might be disheartened by missing out on it, nothing can be ruled out when it comes to the rights concerning the Cup Series. It definitely makes it more interesting to see what NASCAR plans to do with its top-tier series in this regard.

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