We’re a couple months away from NASCAR taking the full plunge into the streaming world when they debut on Amazon Prime Video. And NASCAR executives are confident that the shift to exclusive streaming won’t hurt viewership numbers.
NASCAR has had a positive start to the season with each race performing better than a year ago on comparable platforms. And with last week’s race from Phoenix moving from broadcast to cable at FS1, it was the most watched cable race since 2021 with 2.8 million viewers.
But it will be a brand new paradigm when races shift to Amazon and TNT later this year. NASCAR took a gamble with their new media package that kicks in this year, partnering with four different broadcasters instead of just two as has been the case for most years this millennium. There have been questions about whether or not fans will be able to find and follow the series, especially when it comes to races exclusively behind the Amazon Prime Video paywall.
But in comments captured by Sports Business Journal, NASCAR president Steve Phelps is bullish that fans will flock to Amazon, saying his “expectation is it’s going to drive viewership that’s probably at least as good as what we’d see on cable.” He also emphasized the importance of NASCAR being on a streaming platform alongside the NFL and NBA.
“Streaming is important. It’s here to stay and we think that Amazon Prime is a terrific partner for us to be with, and you’re kind of defined by the company you keep, right? The NFL, NBA, ourself – that’s a good adjacency for us. I think they’re going to bring a fresh approach which they certainly did with ‘Thursday Night Football’ and I think it will drive a slightly younger audience for us, which that’s not a bad thing either.”
Probably the best comparison for whether or not NASCAR can capture similar audiences from Amazon to cable is through the NFL, which has had its Thursday Night Football package on the streamer after years on broadcast television. And perhaps somewhat surprisingly, TNF on Amazon drew about the same audience as it did on Amazon in 2024 as it did on broadcast television in 2021 (13.2 million vs 13.3 million).
Of course, NASCAR is not the NFL when it comes to ratings and pulling in subscribers. But races on Amazon will be Nielsen rated, so we should be able to find out if the series will be successful in getting fans to come along for the streaming ride.
About Matt Yoder