Saturday, 29 July 2023

Deadline: The CW Adds NASCAR XFinity Series To Sports Lineup

Story from Deadline:

The CW is expanding its live sports portfolio with the NASCAR Xfinity Series, composed mainly of young up-and-coming drivers. The network will become the exclusive home to the series beginning in 2025 and extending through the 2031 racing season.

Under the deal, CW will broadcast 33 live NASCAR Xfinity Series races annually, along with practice and qualifying events each weekend. Starting in 2025, for the first time in series history, every NASCAR Xfinity Series race will be available on free, over-the-air broadcast television with additional content available through The CW’s digital platforms. All NASCAR Xfinity Series races and ancillary content will be fully produced by the Emmy-winning NASCAR Productions group, in close collaboration with The CW Network.

The network has been expanding its sports programming, first signaling interest with 100 Days To Indy docuseries, which premiered earlier this year, as well as the deal with Saudi-backed LIV Golf League, the Atlantic Coast Conference for live events, and airing of the Atlantic Coast Conference college football and basketball games through 2026-27.

“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,” said Dennis Miller, President of The CW. “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. The CW has quickly become a destination for sports, as the NASCAR Xfinity Series joins our growing slate of sports programming, including Inside The NFL, ACC college football and basketball, LIV Golf, and the motorsports documentary series 100 Days To Indy. Beginning in 2025, The CW will have 48 weekends per year of live sports programming. With ubiquitous distribution across one of the nation’s five major broadcast networks, NASCAR Xfinity Series races on The CW will deliver more access for fans and far more revenue opportunities for The CW and its affiliates.”

“CW’s leadership shared a compelling vision for cultivating the next generation of NASCAR talent by bringing the NASCAR Xfinity Series exclusively to broadcast television and we are thrilled for the opportunity to partner with them,” added Brian Herbst, SVP, Media and Productions for NASCAR. “With more than one million viewers tuning in each week to see NASCAR’s future stars battle some of its biggest names at our most legendary tracks, NASCAR Xfinity Series consistently delivers the moments that excite current fans and create new fans of our great sport.”

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