NASCAR, Following the Steps of New Age Golf Tour, Plays a Gamble With the CW

It is no secret that NASCAR has struggled with its TV ratings this season. In its attempt to change things around, the governing body recently entered into a deal with The CW. While the agreement involves the Nexstar-owned broadcast network becoming the TV home of the NASCAR Xfinity Series, is it a gamble that could play out well for the sport?

Over time, the usage of streaming platforms has only increased. And with various sports joining the list, it only made sense for NASCAR to go down that road. Most recently, golf adopted a similar approach and it would be interesting to see how fans respond to this approach from NASCAR.

NASCAR takes a big risk after handing broadcasting rights to The CW

The seven-year agreement between NASCAR and The CW ensures all 33 races along with the practice and qualifying sessions be broadcasted for the viewers. While it is a major boost for the Xfinity Series fans, NASCAR has made a smart commercial deal out of it. The deal sees the governing body make $800 million over the course of seven years while bringing their second-tier series available to every home in the States.

YouTuber Eric Estepp deep-dived into this deal to understand its benefits and risks. He started off by stressing the statements from The CW President Dennis Miller. When Miller spoke to The Hollywood Reporter, he said, “Landing the NASCAR Xfinity Series is a game changer for The CW and our CW Sports division and represents another important building block in our programming strategy.”

He added, “Live sports are the most watched television content and with The CW’s national reach, moving NASCAR Xfinity Series to The CW will transform and elevate the viewing experience for the series and its fans.” While there is truth in Miller’s statements, Estepp analyzed them a bit more.

The YouTuber said, “He [Miller] mentioned the many other sports properties that the CW now has the broadcasting rights for. They’ve been swallowing up broadcasting rights left and right in recent months.” Estepp also highlighted how The CW has been associated with the broadcasting of LIV Golf.

While NASCAR has gone down the same road, Estepp points out how The CW has a younger audience. He said, “I don’t know exactly what the CW’s audience demographics look like especially when you compare to NBC CBS Fox’s demographics but apparently the CW’s audience is quite a bit younger.”

Shows like Riverdale, The Flash, Supernaturals, Gossip Girl, and others have been the backbone of The CW brand for the past 10-plus years. With such a young audience, Estepp raises the uncertainty involving the deal. He questioned, “Will those younger audiences stick around and give golf a try? Will they stick around and give NASCAR and the Xfinity series a try?”

READ MORE – ‘This Partnership is About More Than Just Media Rights’: CEO Greg Norman Shares His Joy After Striking a Mega Deal for LIV Golf

Well, the effectiveness and efficiency of the deal can only be known with time. However, given the fans’ reactions to Estepp’s analysis, it looks like a positive thing.

NASCAR’s deal with The CW brings out a positive wave of emotions among the fans

There is no doubt that NASCAR has struggled to satisfy the fans in the ongoing season due to a number of reasons. The primary reason being the commercials during the broadcast were another issue that bothered the fanbase. However, with this deal with The CW, things are expected to change, giving a lot of hope to the fans.

In fact, plenty of them reacted positively to the news and also after Estepp detailed the risks and benefits around it. Many commented with optimism on YouTube.

“The CW is an excellent plan. Many fans don’t want to pay for a TV subscription which requires paying for a bunch of other garbage channels in order to watch NASCAR. Hopefully the Cup Series will chart a similar course.”

“You know, it’s an odd decision that no one saw coming, but I have no complaints about the entire Xfinity series being easily available to EVERYONE! That’s cool. Now, we just have to hope that the broadcast is good and hopefully they get good people in the booth.”

“More eyes on the product means more potential new fans to the sport. This is great news. Nascar on the Arrow verse!”

“The cable channels have been annoying since cutting the cord has been a thing. I’m excited for this change and I hope the cup series follows suite.”

“All I have for TV service is an antenna. This is fantastic news!! The Xfinity series is now more accessible than Cup. Crazy.”

While the buzz around the deal is unreal, hopefully, it helps NASCAR to turn around things. Additionally, it only gets more interesting to see what they end up doing with the Cup Series when it comes to broadcasting.

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