NASCAR CEO plans talks with CBS-TNT sports chief about moving TNT races to broadcast
NASCAR CEO Steve O'Donnell disclosed at a Front Office Sports conference that he intends to meet with David Berson, who now leads the combined CBS-TNT sports division following the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger, to explore putting TNT's NASCAR Cup Series races on the CBS broadcast network. TNT currently airs a package of five Cup Series races each summer under a seven-year agreement, now two years in. A shift to CBS would face hurdles from existing pay-TV distribution deals with providers such as Comcast and DirecTV, which guarantee that premium programming like NASCAR races airs exclusively on TNT. According to the report, those agreements are not absolute barriers — network, league, and distributor alignment could make a move possible, and discussions of this kind are already reportedly underway.
CBS used to be a great partner of ours, Turner has been fantastic, so who knows?
Why it matters
For brands: Sponsors and advertisers with NASCAR commitments could see significantly larger audiences if races migrate from cable to broadcast television.
For media: A potential shift of TNT's NASCAR package to CBS broadcast would affect reach, ratings, and ad revenue for all rights holders and affiliated media partners.
Read the full story at Awful Announcing
Sources
- Awful Announcing · Drew Lerner: NASCAR CEO to meet with CBS about airing TNT races on broadcast