US national broadcaster NBC has extended its domestic broadcast rights tie-up with the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) SportsCar Championship motor racing series, in a multi-year deal starting in 2025.
The tie-up, unveiled by NBC over the weekend, entails an increase of close to 50% in the coverage levels NBC will provide for the series - with 17 hours of SportsCar Championship action to be covered by the broadcaster annually via its linear channels.
NBC’s streaming affiliate Peacock, meanwhile, will continue to cover all SportsCar Championship action through the course of the tie-up.
This agreement comes as a welcome boost to NBC in terms of its motor racing portfolio - earlier this month, US media giant Fox agreed a new deal to become the exclusive broadcaster of IndyCar, the country’s elite-tier series of open-wheel motor racing. NBC has held the rights to the series since 2009 and its most recent three-year extension was believed to be worth $20 million per season.
The initial NBC-IMSA deal - a six-year tie-up - came in early 2018 and began with the 2019 season. NBC snapped up those rights from Fox, who had shown the series previously.
NBC recorded its highest viewing figures for SportsCar Championship action in 2023, through a 13% rise year-on-year.
On Peacock, meanwhile, viewing numbers were up 60%, in terms of total minutes, from the equivalent figure in 2022.
Justin Byczek, senior vice president of programming and rights management at NBC Sports, has said: "We’re proud to continue our partnership with IMSA as the home of the SportsCar Championship and its support series. Fans will be able to enjoy every moment of IMSA’s high-quality, competitive racing across NBC Sports’ linear and digital platforms for years to come.”
John Doonan, president of IMSA, added: “Our partnership with NBC Sports has produced viewership increases for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship every year from our first year in 2019 through last season. We also have managed to deliver impressive audience growth on Peacock.”
The 2024 Championship got underway in mid-January at Daytona International Speedway in Florida and will end with the Petit Le Mans race in Atlanta, Georgia, in October.
The next race of the 12-event season comes at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Ontario, Canada, where the Chevrolet Grand Prix will be held on July 14.
