news

CW can call some NASCAR Xfinity races remotely

Vaseline October 11, 2024

Getty Images

Nexstar Media Group’s The CW is considering having its NASCAR booth host some of its races remotely from NASCAR Studios in North Carolina next year, amid a broader shift toward practices in the sports media industry. NASCAR’s second-tier series, the Xfinity Series, aired on both Fox and NBC from 2015 to this year before The CW took over in the playoffs. The CW signed a seven-year deal from 2025-31 to broadcast the full season for $115 million per year, but it gets a head start because NBC Sports agreed to broadcast the final eight races of the season while retaining talent and NBC production uses. , to help fans get used to the series’ new home.

The network has yet to announce who will be in the booth next year, although Fox Sports’ Adam Alexander is seen as the favorite to become the lead play-by-play announcer, SBJ previously first reported.

People familiar with the matter tell SBJ that one of the things Nexstar and NASCAR are discussing is how many races Nexstar will work with NASCAR to call remotely from NASCAR’s $53 million, 58,000-square-foot production facility that opened outdoors late last year . Charlotte. The CW will call at least some races from the track, one of the people said, but teams are still working out details.

Even if The CW booth calls the race remotely, the network is still expected to have people on site, whether they be pit reporters or backstage production members. The Fox Sports Truck Series booth would call races in person until Fox had completed half of the Cup Series slate, at which point the Truck booth would call races remotely at Fox’s studio in Charlotte using the Home Run Production system.

Media networks have increased their use of remote broadcasting since the pandemic began in 2020, a move sometimes criticized by fans and seen as a cost-control measure. Nexstar is declining to comment on its plans until it is ready to make formal announcements.