When NASCAR inked its seven-year media rights deal with FOX, NBC, Amazon Prime Video, and TNT Sports (Warner Bros. Discovery) starting in 2025, it looked like a slam dunk for the sport’s future. The $7.7 billion pact promised stability and growth, splitting the Cup Series’ 38 events across the partners.

FOX and NBC each grab 14 races, but the catch is the broadcast breakdown, only five of FOX’s and four of NBC’s hit over-the-air networks, with the rest shunted to cable like FS1 and USA or streaming giants. It was billed as a forward-thinking move, but as 2025’s ratings tank, fans and insiders are calling it a bust that’s chasing cash over crowds.

The deal’s roots go deep. Before 2025, NASCAR’s TV landscape was already fragmented, but this one cranks it up. The Pocono race, now on Prime Video, drew 1.87 million viewers, a 22% drop from 2.4 million on USA Network last year.

The Coca-Cola 600’s streaming debut peaked at 2.92 million, solid for digital but a shadow of broadcast highs. With practice and qualifying mostly on streaming too, Prime for early season, TruTV and Max later, fans are juggling apps and channels just to catch a lap. It’s a far cry from the days when a single network owned the weekend.

The broadcast drop is the real kicker. In 2024, FOX and NBC aired 20 of 36 Cup races over the air; now it’s just nine. That’s the fewest since NASCAR took the reins from tracks, and it’s got casual viewers tuning out. The New Hampshire playoff race scraped 1.29 million, down 28% from 2024’s 1.88 million.

Overall Cup average? 2.52 million, a 13% slide. Analysts like Eric Estepp blame the shift to less accessible channels, where guaranteed fees trump household reach. NASCAR prioritized the payday, 40% up from the old deal, but at what cost?

Fans feel the pinch too. The weekly scramble, “Is practice on Prime or TruTV?” turns watching into work. It’s like the 2001 multi-network mess, but with streaming fatigue piled on. Households shell out $90 monthly for bundles, and NASCAR’s spread across FOX, NBC, USA, FS1, TNT, Prime, and The CW for Xfinity feels like a subscription scavenger hunt. The Coca-Cola 600’s 2.72 million on Prime was decent, but it’s no broadcast blowout.

As the sport fights for eyes in a world where NFL Sundays pull 17.5 million, this deal’s looking like a shiny trap. Reddit’s been a firestorm, with fans ripping the “bust” that’s chasing dollars over delivery.

Fans have labeled NASCAR’s media deal as ‘bust’

“laughs in races being on CBS, ABC, NBC, ESPN, TBS, ESPN2, TNN, and qualifying being on Fox Sports Net and CNN: SI, all in one season,” one user posted, mocking the old patchwork that made finding a race a hunt. Back then, fans flipped channels like mad, but at least it was mostly free over-the-air. Now, with streaming and cable silos, it’s a hassle that’s pushing viewers away.

“This year, there are only 2 Cup races on network TV from March 2nd to October 19th. Say what you will about the modern TV landscape, but broadcast network television is where you find sports on the weekends,” another vented. The nine over-the-air races are a joke compared to 20 in 2024, and weekends are NFL and MLB territory. Fans who rely on antennas for free sports are left out, and the deal’s focus on cash over reach feels tone-deaf.

“7 Billion dollar bust,” a user quipped. The $7.7 billion windfall was hyped as NASCAR’s golden ticket, but with Pocono’s 22% drop and New Hampshire’s 28% plunge, it’s a bust that’s fragmenting the audience. BlackBook Motorsport called it a “landmark,” but fans see it as prioritizing fees over fans.

“I think it’s just a by-product of NASCAR taking dollars over terms. They could have asked for more network races, but didn’t. They could have sold streaming rights separately, but didn’t. They wanted the big chunk of money over having a deal that best served existing fans and helps cultivate new ones,” one fan nailed.

Pre-2001, fans juggled six networks for a race, but cable was king. Now, with streaming costs rivaling cable, the chase across Prime, TruTV, and USA is exhausting casuals.

“The weekly ‘which channel is showing practice/ quali this week?’ ‘Okay, and is the race on the same channel?’ … I can’t even hate on Prime because those races were done so well, but with the actual TV channels, it’s a mess. It also makes it harder for the average earning American at this point because it’s much easier to bunny ears a Fox, NBC channel, but by making it on so many different channels, it costs the consumer much more,” another gripe.

Cord-cutting was supposed to save money, but NASCAR’s spread forces bundles that hit wallets hard. Prime’s quality is top-notch, but the hassle of tracking races across platforms is killing the vibe.