It’s no secret that NASCAR, as a sport, is making big leaps to make the big leap forward in terms of racing. But while competitive racing and better cars are crucial elements of the equation, they are still one side of the coin.
The other being how that exciting and competitive Next Gen racing is brought to viewers, or in other words, broadcasting. NASCAR President Steve Phelps had recently talked about a new TV deal while also remaining open to a direct-to-consumer route of broadcasting.
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However, with the recent announcement of the launch of a new digital channel by The Race Team Alliance, we could be in for a bigger announcement soon.
According to Sports Business Journal, RTA is launching Racing America Channel, a free, 24/7 streaming channel that will focus on grassroots racing and content from associated Cup Series teams. This venture is a partnership with Fast Studios and RTA Media Holdings.
Stuart McLean, the CEO of Fast Studios, claimed that 30% of this new channel’s programming will be ‘live racing.’
NASCAR President looking for a balance between all options
With more and more sports heading into streaming, there’s no doubt NASCAR is also enticed by that idea. However, President Steve Phelps also insisted that they need to find a balance between all the options available simply because of the nature of the sport.
“Our sport [it’s] very important to make sure that we have significant eyeballs. The team model is very dependent on sponsorship so we need to make sure that whatever partner that we would… stay with or move to… we need to make sure that over-the-air is an important part of what that will be,” Phelps said.
“We’ll have to see where that goes. Do I believe there’s a world for us in direct-to-consumer, I do. The question is, ‘What’s that balance between over-the-air, cable, and direct-to-consumer?”
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HOMESTEAD, FL – NOVEMBER 18: NASCAR President Steve Phelps speaks to the media prior to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 18, 2018 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Right now, it won’t be wrong to assume that the Racing America channel could play a big part in this situation.
Think about it, it is a digital streaming platform backed by 14 Cup Teams and NASCAR is looking for a digital streaming platform to revolutionize its broadcasting.
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