NASCAR
TV News Page 4
July 2005 - Dec. 2005
Dec.. 7, 2005:
NASCAR Television Package announced: The
National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR)
today announced the completion of comprehensive
broadcast agreements that will benefit the industry and
its fans for years to come. Under the new eight year
agreements NASCAR races will be broadcast on a
combination of networks that includes FOX, SPEED,
Turner’s TNT and ABC/ESPN beginning in 2007. “NASCAR’s
new network agreements mark a historic moment for the
entire NASCAR community,” said NASCAR Chairman and CEO
Brian France. “This is a major accomplishment for the
NASCAR drivers, teams and track operators that have made
this sport what it is today. It represents a significant
reward for the competitive side-by-side racing our fans
have come to expect. It also validates the marketing and
production enhancements our current media partners have
brought to the sport. The new broadcast partnership is
also good for the fans because they will have so much
more NASCAR content from a variety of media and new
media sources." “NASCAR is proud to continue its
relationship with FOX, SPEED and TNT, while welcoming
back ABC/ESPN into the family of broadcasters,” said
NASCAR Vice President Dick Glover. “By signing deals
with three of the largest and best media companies in
the world, NASCAR will meet the growing nationwide fan
demand for more NASCAR content into the next decade,”
Glover said. NASCAR expands its relationship with News
Corp as FOX becomes the official home of the Daytona
500.
FOX - FOX’s broadcast agreements for the NFL
Playoffs, the Super Bowl, the Bowl Championship Series
and American Idol provide an excellent opportunity for
cross promotion around the Daytona 500 held each year in
mid-February. The deal also includes a brand-new
comprehensive multi-media distribution program which
includes Internet, wireless and broadband platforms.
“FOX is extremely excited to extend its relationship
with NASCAR for another eight years, and come 2007 be
known as the official television home of the Daytona
500, by far the most watched auto race in this country,”
said FOX Sports President Ed Goren. “Our production team
has done an amazing job over the last five years to put
NASCAR broadcasts on par with America's most popular
sports, and we look forward to pushing the production
envelope further as we move forward.”
SPEED - SPEED will increase NASCAR programming as
the continuing exclusive home for the NASCAR Craftsman
Truck Series as well as the new home for the Gatorade
Duels, NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Pit Crew Challenge and
NASCAR Nextel Cup Series All-Star Challenge.
TNT - NASCAR looks forward to continued great
exposure and coverage of the sport from TNT, which will
be entering its 22nd year with NASCAR, the longest
continuous relationship of any media company with the
sport. TNT will broadcast six consecutive races in the
middle of the season including the July 4th weekend
extravaganza, the Pepsi 400 from Daytona.
ABC/ESPN - ABC and ESPN will provide
comprehensive coverage of NASCAR on their numerous
outlets. The final 17 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series events
will be broadcast on ABC or ESPN with the last 10, the
Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, on ABC. All NASCAR
Busch Series races will be broadcast on ABC, ESPN or
ESPN 2. In addition, ESPN will bring NASCAR coverage to
its full suite of media including its cable TV networks,
ESPN360, Mobile ESPN, ESPN.com and affiliated
international networks throughout the world. “This
agreement totally embraces NASCAR’s multimedia future,”
said George Bodenheimer, ESPN Inc. and ABC Sports
president and co-chairman of Disney Media Networks.
“NASCAR is a strong and growing property, and the ESPN
of the 21st century – an array of new media platforms
and content outlets reaching fans wherever and however
they consume sports – will take the sport to even higher
levels of exposure and growth. ABC Sports first exposed
sports fans to the racing excitement of NASCAR in the
1960s, and ESPN and the sport grew up together in the
1980s and ‘90s. Our tradition is rich, and our future is
bright. To NASCAR, its drivers and fans we say, ‘Welcome
back.” “NASCAR thanks NBC for its stellar coverage and
commitment to the sport for the past five years and
looks forward to another great year in 2006,” Glover
concluded.
Under the Agreement
Beginning in 2007, each NASCAR season will be launched
on FOX with the telecast of the Daytona 500. FOX will
also carry NASCAR “Speedweeks” events including the
Budweiser Shootout and Daytona Pole Qualifying. FOX will
also broadcast the 12 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races following
the Daytona 500.
TNT will broadcast six consecutive NASCAR NEXTEL Cup
Series races (races 14 through 19).
The final 17 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series points races will
be broadcast on ABC or ESPN. The final 10 races, the
Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, will be broadcast on
ABC. The NASCAR Busch Series will be broadcast on ABC,
ESPN or ESPN 2, with no less than four events on ABC.
SPEED will be home to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
with the exception of two events, which will be
broadcast by FOX.
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series qualifying practice and “happy
hours” will be broadcast on a combination of SPEED
Channel, ESPN and ESPN2.
SPEED will broadcast the Gatorade Duels held each year
during “Speedweeks” to determine part of the Daytona 500
starting order.
SPEED will also broadcast the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series
All-Star Challenge and its companion all-star event, the
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Pit Crew Challenge.
ESPN will launch specially NASCAR-branded news and
information programming.
All broadcast partners will have new interactive rights,
special “season preview” and “season end review”
programming rights and other ancillary content. NASCAR
fans will be able to receive NASCAR coverage from an
expanded range of outlets including highlights and live
streaming, content from and on each network’s Web pages,
datacasts and newly-developed multimedia programming.
(NASCAR Media Services)
McReynolds wins Gold Medal: Legendary NASCAR
crew chief and popular television commentator Larry
McReynolds has won a gold medal for his book, How to
Become a Winning Crew Chief. The award was presented
during the International Automotive Media Awards (IAMA),
held at the famous Sardi's restaurant in New York City.
McReynolds shares his medal with co-author, Jeff
Huneycutt. "For this book to win an award in motorsports
publishing far exceeds my expectations," McReynolds
said. "It's quite an honor to have the book recognized
by the IAMA and judged over similar books of this type.
The most rewarding part of being involved in writing the
book is this kind of feedback, and knowing from readers
that the book has made an impact on them and helped
their racing." Publisher David Bull said, "I'm proud
that Larry and Jeff's work has been honored with the
gold medal. It's a great reflection of the quality of
the information they've provided and the indispensable
help it offers to racers." "How to Become a Winning
Crew Chief" is on bookstore shelves, or you may
order your own autographed copy from
www.DWStore.com.
Dec. 2, 2005
TV Deal near: NASCAR CEO
Brian France said Thursday that NASCAR was on the "final
lap" of its TV deal, in which ESPN is expected to
replace NBC for 2007 and beyond. An announcement is
expected before the end of the year. (Richmond
Times Dispatch)
Nov. 30, 2005:
NASCAR and ABC/ESPN/TNT reaches deal: NASCAR
has reached separate, eight-year TV rights deals with
ABC Sports/ESPN, and Turner Broadcasting, under which
ABC/ESPN would pay $270 million per year and Turner's
TNT would pay $80 million per year. The terms of the
deal was first reported by SportsBusiness Journal
and confirmed by Mediaweek through its
independent sources. NASCAR has not officially announced
the deal, apparantly wanting to wait until it finalizes
a deal with Fox for the remainder of the race telecasts.
A Fox official said the network is continuing to
negotiate and expects to reach an agreement with NASCAR,
but said nothing has been finalized. Under the new deal,
ABC/ESPN will televise 17 Nextel Cup races during the
second half of the season [previously part of the
NBC/TNT combined package] and all of the Busch Series
races [which were previously part of the previous Fox
package]. Among those 17 will be 10 "Chase for the Cup"
races, which will all air on ABC. Most of the Busch
Series races will air on ESPN2. Turner's TNT will air
six Nextel Cup races, three from the previous Fox
package and three from the previous NBC/TNT package.
Those races will air between the first half package,
expected to be Fox's, and the new ABC/ESPN package. ESPN
and Turner/TNT officials would not comment on the deals,
and NASCAR officials could not be reached for comment.
(Media
Week) Deal is expected to be announced Thursday in
New York NASCAR Champions Press Conference.
Nov. 29, 2005:
NASCAR
television package near complete: NASCAR could
announce as early as this week a TV rights deal that
would see Fox broadcast the first half of the Nextel Cup
season and TNT and ESPN/ABC sharing the back half
starting in 2007, Street & Smith's SportsBusiness
Journal reports. The sanctioning body could get as
much as $550 million a year from TV rights, a 38%
increase over the estimated $400 million a year it gets
under the current arrangement with Fox, NBC and TNT. The
story says industry insiders say the ABC/ESPN commitment
alone is expected to be about $270 million a year. TNT
and ESPN are expected to air six races each, reporter
Scott Warfield writes, and ABC will air the final 11
races, including all 10 events [and Indy] in the Chase
For The Nextel Cup. (NASCAR
Scene Daily Newsletter)
Nov. 23, 2005:
Watch
Team USA, including Jeff Gordon compete: HDNet will
give U.S. racing fans an exclusive front-row seat
December 3 as NASCAR superstar Jeff Gordon and X-Games
champ Travis Pastrana compete in the 2005 Race of
Champions - Nations Cup, live from the famous Stade de
France in Paris. The entire event will be available for
the second year in a row to U.S. television viewers in
the highest quality 1080i high-definition television
(HDTV), only on HDNet, Saturday, December 3 at 11:00
a.m. ET, followed by a prime-time encore presentation at
9:30 p.m. ET. The 18th annual Race of Champions -
Nations Cup is an end-of-season international racing
showdown featuring two exciting competitions. First, in
the Race of Champions, 19 the world‘s best drivers
compete in a series of head-to-head heats in identical
cars to determine the individual “Champion of
Champions.” Then, in the Nations Cup, the same drivers
compete in national teams of two in a bid to determine
“The World‘s Fastest Nation.” Team USA is
sponsored by Centrix Financial, who has chosen four-time
NASCAR champ Gordon and five-time X-Games Motocross
champ Pastrana to compete against top drivers from all
the major world class championships, including World
Rally, Formula 1, Champ Car, IRL, Rally-Raid, DTM, Le
Mans, and GP2. “HDNet is proud to be the exclusive
broadcast home of the Race of Champions - Nations Cup
once again,” said Mark Cuban of HDNet. “This is the only
event of its kind where top U.S. competitors represent
their country against the best drivers from around the
world. You won‘t want to miss the action!” (HDNET
PR)
NASCAR
Chase ratings up, final Homestead ratings down:
NASCAR on NBC & TNT averaged a 4.7 rating and 10 share
for its coverage of Nextel Cup racing, its best
season-to-date rating for NASCAR since beginning their
partnership to broadcast the second half of the NASCAR
schedule in 2001, and a 74% increase from the 2.7/8 for
the 2000 season, the last season before the current
network television deal. NBC & TNT's ratings for the ten
races of the "Chase for the Nextel Cup" averaged a 4.7,
up 2% from the inaugural "Chase" last year (4.6). NBC's
coverage of the NASCAR Nextel Cup championship finale,
the Ford 400 from Homestead-Miami Speedway, rated a
5.9/11, the second-highest rating in the history of the
event, below only last year's 6.2/13, and drew an
estimated 19 million viewers. The rating peaked at a 7.2
between 7-7:30pm/et as Greg Biffle outdueled Mark Martin
to take the checkered flag and Tony Stewart clinched the
NASCAR Nextel Cup Championship. The top ten rated
markets for the second half of the 2005 season are: 1)
Greensboro, NC: 12.4; 2) Greenville, SC: 12.0; 3)
Knoxville, TN: 11.4; 4) Charlotte, NC: 11.1; 5)
Indianapolis, IN: 9.4; 6) Louisville, KY: 8.4; 7)
Atlanta, GA: 8.3; t8) Birmingham, AL: 8.2; t8)
Jacksonville, FL: 8.2; 10) Dayton, OH: 8.0. (NBC PR)
Nov. 22, 2005:
Busy Stewart starts media tour: Drenched with
soda and beer after claiming his second Nextel Cup
championship in four seasons, Tony Stewart was asked to
make a statement when he entered the media center late
Sunday night at Homestead-Miami Speedway. "Let's get
this thing over with as quick as possible," he said with
a devilish grin. "I've got a lot of beer to drink with
my crew." What, you were expecting NASCAR's bad
boy-turned-choirboy to say he was headed to Disney
World? Presumably, he left a wake-up call because the
party was to continue yesterday with a flight to New
York for television appearances, including a taping of
the Late Show with David Letterman that is scheduled to
air on Friday. Today, Stewart's commute will take him to
Bristol, Conn., for a barrage of interviews at ESPN
headquarters. He will return home to Indiana before
heading for the Big Apple on Sunday to kick off
Champions Week - culminating with the Nextel Cup awards
banquet at the Waldorf-Astoria on Dec. 2. NASCAR's 14th
multiple-title winner may be better prepared mentally to
handle the onslaught of interviews and appearances than
when he won his first stock-car championship in 2002.
"This year vs. 2002 - we've had fun all year," Stewart
said. "Even when we weren't running good, we were having
fun. We got back to why we started racing in the first
place, and that's because we love being a part of race
teams and we love racing and we love competing. (Philadelphia
Inquirer)
Homestead ratings down: NBC's overnight
ratings, consisting of the top 56 U.S. markets, were
down. The average rating was 4.8 (which represents an
average 66,000 households per market) compared with 5.5
last year. In the South Florida market, the average was
only 2.9 compared with a 4.0 a year ago. But the ratings
are still up from two years ago, before the Chase
format. The national overnight rating was 4.5, and the
local rating was 2.3. (Miami
Herald)
Top 5
Markets
1. Greenville S.C. 14.2
2. Knoxville, Tenn. 12.8
3. Greensboro, N.C. 12.7
4. Charlotte, N.C. 11.3
5. Orlando, Fla. 9.4
Nov. 18, 2005:
Bill Weber's call of a lifetime: Amid all the
football this weekend will be a NASCAR race of
considerable significance, as the Chase for the
Championship concludes with Sunday's Nextel Cup Ford 400
at Homestead-Miami Speedway. For Bill Weber, who will
call the race for NBC, the best part of this setup is
that it lets him focus on the leaders. "For me as a
broadcaster, this is the first time in my lifetime that
I've been able to do this," Weber said on a conference
call. "I look at it as a career moment, and I'll have my
eyes basically glued to three or four cars at one time."
Weber, addressing commentator Benny Parsons, who was
also on the call, added, "BP, you watch the other 39
cars, OK?" (L.A.
Times)
Nov. 17, 2005:
NBC Cameras at Homestead: The "Chase for
the Nextel Cup" races to the finish line at the Ford
400, Sunday, 3:00pm/et from Homestead-Miami Speedway,
live in high definition on NBC. Coverage begins with a
special one-hour "Bank of America Countdown to Green"
pre-race show, followed by green flag racing at
4:00pm/et. NBC's production arsenal for the Ford 400
NASCAR Nextel Cup finale will include 65 cameras,
including eight cars with in-car cameras and three
isolation cameras focused on the top three drivers in
the championship "Chase." The "Tony-Cam," "Jimmie-Cam"
and "Carl-Cam" will be isolated on points leader Tony
Stewart, Jimmie Johnson (-52) and Carl Edwards (-87)
respectively. NBC also will have a "Crew-Cam" mounted on
the helmet of Stewart's rear tire carrier, Jody Forston,
that will show the speed and pressure from his point of
view during Stewart's pit stops. (NBC PR)
Nov. 16, 2005:
Expanded Speed Coverage at Homestead: SPEED
Channel will elevate its coverage of the final event in
the NASCAR Chase for the NEXTEL Cup with a week's worth
of at-track and off-site programming from South Florida,
culminating with a four-hour live pre-race package Nov.
20 beginning at 11:00am/et. In addition to multiple live
programs from the track, Speed Channel also will bring
several of its studio shows to Miami, embracing the
city's personality and style. (SPEED)
Nov. 15, 2005:
Dale Jr. on CNBC: CNBC will feature Dale Jr.
during the "On the Money" program Friday night at 7:00
pm. ET. The segment will also be seen on "Dollars and
Sport" on CNBC, Thanksgiving morning at 9:30 am and
again at 2:30 pm ET. (Budweiser Weekly PR)
Phoenix
Overnight ratings down: NBC's broadcast of Sunday's
Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway
earned an overnight rating of 4.0 from Nielsen Media
Research and a 7 share in the nation's largest
television markets, Street & Smith's SportsBusiness
Daily reports. The overnight rating is 13% lower than
the 4.6 NBC drew overnight for last year's 35th Nextel
Cup race, which was the Mountain Dew Southern 500 from
Darlington Raceway. The Nov. 7, 2004, race at Phoenix,
which was last year's 34th race, drew a 4.3 overnight
rating. (NASCAR
Scene Daily Newsletter)
Nov. 9, 2005:
Chase, and Final Texas Television Ratings UP:
NBC's coverage of the inaugural fall NASCAR Nextel Cup
race from Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday earned a 5.1
national rating/10 share, a four percent increase from
the comparable race last year (4.9/10 in Phoenix). With
only two races left in the "Chase for the Nextel Cup,"
the eight "Chase" races are averaging a 4.5 rating on
NBC & TNT, up five percent from 2004 (4.3) and up ten
percent for the comparable eight races in 2003 (4.1).
Season to date, NASCAR on NBC & TNT is rating a 4.7, up
eight percent from 2004 (4.4). The rating for NBC's
coverage of NASCAR Nextel Cup racing from Texas peaked
at a 6.6/11 between 7-7:23 p.m. ET as Carl Edwards
outdueled Mark Martin for the checkered flag and
back-flipped his way up the "Chase" standings.
(NBC Universal PR)
Nov. 8, 2005:
Dale Jr on QVC "For Race Fans Only": Dale Jr.
will appear on QVC Network’s call-in show “For Race Fans
Only” Friday at 8 p.m. ET, live from Phoenix
International Speedway. This will mark Dale Jr.’s second
time on QVC this season. (DEI Weekly Release)
Nov. 7, 2005:)
NASCAR Texas Overnight ratings: NBC's
broadcast of Sunday's Dickies 500 at Texas Motor
Speedway earned an overnight Nielsen Media Research
rating of 4.4 and an 8 share in the nation's largest
markets, Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Daily
reports. (NASCAR
Scene Daily Newsletter)
Final
Atlanta TV Ratings up: NBC's broadcast of the Oct.
30 Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 Nextel Cup race at Atlanta
Motor Speedway earned a final rating of 4.7 from Nielsen
Media Research and a 10 share, Street & Smith's
SportsBusiness Daily reports. The rating is 2.2%
higher than the 4.6 rating NBC drew for the race in
2004. (NASCAR Scene Daily Newsletter)
Nov. 1, 2005:
Atlanta
Early Ratings down: NBC's broadcast of Sunday's Bass
Pro Shops MBNA 500 from Atlanta Motor Speedway earned a
3.9 overnight rating and an 8 share from Nielsen Media
Research, Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Daily reports.
The overnight rating from the nation's largest
television markets is down 7.1% from 4.2 last year. (NASCAR
Scene Daily Newsletter)
Oct. 26, 2005:
This week on Wally's World: This week on
"Wally's World," Chris Meloni, star of NBC's "Law &
Order: Special Victims Unit" replaces his detective
badge for a seat belt when he takes a ride with NASCAR
on NBC & TNT analyst Wally Dallenbach on the "Bank of
America Countdown to Green" pre-race show. (NBC
Universal PR)
Oct. 22, 2005:
NYC and LA leads in NASCAR ratings last week:
New York and Los Angeles lead household viewership
NASCAR’s UAW-GM Quality 500 earned a 5.1 rating on NBC,
making it the highest-rated NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series
fall event in the history of the Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
NASCAR fans in New York City and Los Angeles tuned in to
last week’s race in impressive fashion, leading the
country in terms of household viewership. New York and
Los Angeles ranked first and second, respectively, for
household viewership of the Saturday night race.
According to Nielsen Media Research, 174,000 New York
City NASCAR fans tuned in to the race, representing a
23% increase from last year. In Los Angeles, 159,000
fans watched, up 77% from last year. NASCAR’s popularity
continues to grow in major markets nationwide,
demonstrating the wide appeal of the sport. Other
markets ranking in the top 10 for household viewership
included Charlotte, N.C., Dallas, Tampa, Fla.,
Philadelphia, Chicago, Orlando, Fla. and Indianapolis.
(NBC Universal PR)
Oct. 21, 2005:
NEXTEL Cup rating up
over 4% last week: NBC's broadcast of last Saturday
night's UAW-GM Quality 500 from Lowe's Motor Speedway
earned a final rating of 5.1 and a 10 share from Nielsen
Media Research, Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Daily
reports. The rating is 4.1 percent higher than the 4.9
the race earned in 2004. (Scene
Daily)
Oct. 20, 2005:
The Big Idea to reair: Last Monday night,
CNBC's The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch welcomed
NASCAR, "the hottest sport in America and ultimate
well-oiled machine, " according to Deutsch, the host of
the provocative CNBC talk show. The show did so well on
a night when Monday Night Football and MLB's
baseball playoffs were in full swing, the network
decided to bring it back for an encore at 10 p.m. ET
Friday. (It also will re-air at 1 a.m. ET Saturday)
Guests on Friday's The Big Idea include NASCAR
drivers Rusty Wallace, Jamie McMurray, Kyle Petty,
Shawna Robinson and Erin Crocker; former Cup Series
driver Mike Harmon, NASCAR executive Roger VanDerSnick;
Matt Crossman of The Sporting News, and Shauna Robinson
and members of her all-female pit crew: Geri Parris,
Gina Tomaseski and Tracey Romagnoli. (NBC PR)
WWE Champ Cena in Wally's World: This week on
"Wally's World," WWE champion John Cena steps out of the
"squared circle" and onto the half-mile oval when he
takes a ride with NBC & TNT analyst Wally Dallenbach on
the "Bank of America Countdown to Green" pre-race show.
(NBC PR)
Oct. 19, 2005:
Busch Series to ESPN2 Exclusively? ESPN2
expects to land exclusive rights to all Busch Series
races, Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Daily reports.
Speaking on conditions of anonymity, officials at ESPN
said the Busch Series races would be exclusive domain of
ESPN2 under terms of a new television contract, reporter
Andy Bernstein writes. (Scene
Daily Newsletter)
Oct. 18, 2005:
DIRECTV plans to sponsor race, and driver:
Capitalizing on NASCAR's proven ability to drive
customer acquisition and retention strategies, DIRECTV
has signed a corporate sponsorship agreement with NASCAR
that will give the nation's leading digital television
service exclusive rights among subscription television
distributors to use the NASCAR brand in marketing and
advertising promotions through early 2010. The
sponsorship agreement will enable DIRECTV to create
consumer marketing and retail promotions targeting
NASCAR's 75 million fans, and leverage the power of the
NASCAR brand in promotions for DIRECTV customers who
have access to all networks on DIRECTV that air NASCAR
events. The company says NASCAR will be integrated into
many of its marketing campaigns, including national
promotions. Many of these NASCAR-related campaigns will
focus on the company's new DIRECTV Plus® DVR. Special
NASCAR promotions are also planned. DIRECTV will also
sponsor a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race team and driver
in the 2006 season, and has the rights to use NASCAR
marks and taglines to promote its NASCAR sponsorships on
DIRECTV receiving equipment, service vehicles and
installer uniforms. "In all my years televising NASCAR
races, it's been very obvious to me that everyone
involved in NASCAR demands the very best and most
reliable equipment," said David Hill, president, DIRECTV
Entertainment. "It also became very obvious that the
television service most used by everyone in NASCAR is
DIRECTV. "On pit lane, in the drivers' and their team's
motor homes, in NASCAR's official trailers, and in the
fans' RVs -- a NASCAR race is a sea of DIRECTV dishes.
It made perfect sense to DIRECTV President and CEO Chase
Carey, John Suranyi, DIRECTV's president of Sales and
Service, and me that we should cement our unofficial
relationship." The networks airing NASCAR events -- Fox,
FX, NBC, TNT and SPEED Channel -- are currently
available on DIRECTV. Through Fox and NBC, DIRECTV will
begin delivering races broadcast in high-definition (HD)
when it launches the local HD feeds of those channels in
several major markets later this year and early next
year. (DirecTV PR)
Lowes Rating up: NBC's broadcast of NASCAR
Nextel Cup racing from Lowe's Motor Speedway in
Charlotte, N.C., on Saturday night delivered the highest
overnight rating in the history of the event. The 4.8
overnight rating and 8 share outperformed last year's
4.6/8, the previous high for the fall race from
Charlotte, by 4 percent. NBC Sports' coverage of the
Lowe's 500 NASCAR race (2.8/9 in 18-49, 7.9 million
viewers overall for its full duration) delivered the
highest Saturday primetime rating for any network so far
this season in adults 18-49. It was NBC's highest
Saturday primetime average in 18-49 since Jan. 11 and
highest Saturday total viewership since March 12. (NBC
Sports PR)
Oct. 17, 2005:
NASCAR Wives on Today:
Pattie Petty, along with husband Kyle and father-in-law
Richard, will be the lead interview among NASCAR
drivers’ wives on NBC’s The Today Show Friday, Oct. 21.
Petty led the contingent of wives, which also includes
Jeff Burton’s wife Kim and Jimmie Johnson’s wife
Chandra, in the interview, which was taped this past
weekend. An interview with Pattie and Kyle together, as
well as with Richard Petty, will also be part of the
piece. Latest ratings show approximately 6 million watch
the show each morning. - (Williams Co., Of America,
Inc.)
Oct. 16, 2005:
NASCAR finishes 2nd in ratings, although ahead of
MLB playoffs: In the battle of the repeats, CBS once
again came out on top with a 5.8 ratings/11 share on
Saturday. NBC and FOX followed with a 4.8/9 and 4.2/8,
repsetively, with ABC trailing with a 2.8/5. The coveted
18-49 demographic went to NBC for the night with a 2.7,
followed by CBS' 2.2, FOX, 1.9, and ABC, 1.2. At the 8
o'clock hour, NBC's 4.9/10 for NASCAR coverage just
edged out CBS' 4.8/9 for a "Cold Case" repeat. FOX took
third with a 3.9/8 for its Major League Baseball
coverage, while ABC once again took up the rear with a
2.6/5 for its Wednesday repeat of "Lost." (zap2it)
Benny didn't know: Benny Parsons, NBC’s
analyst, said he knew nothing about the network’s
decision to bow out of NASCAR coverage until he read it
in the newspaper.
Parsons then called his bosses, who confirmed that the
network had pulled out of the bidding process for the
contract that begins in 2007. “They just weren’t
prepared to pay the kind of money NASCAR wanted,” said
Parsons, a former champion driver. “I’ll be 65 when this
contract ends in 14 months,” he added. “I don’t think
it’s as important for me as it is for some of the
younger guys on our broadcasts. They’ll be scrambling.”
(Gaston
Gazzette)
Oct. 15, 2005:
Rusty, France on CNBC: Rusty Wallace will be
a special featured guest on Monday's edition of CNBC's
"The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch." Hosted by Deutsch,
chairman of Deutsch, Inc., the $2.8 billion marketing
company that has won numerous ad-agency-of-the-year
awards, the show is well known for its provocative,
spontaneous and real look at celebrities in various
industries. Other guests on Monday night's program
include NASCAR chairman Brian France. "The Big Idea with
Donny Deutsch" airs nightly on CNBC at 10:00 p.m.
Eastern. (Duluth
News)
N.Y.
Times reports ESPN-ABC to sign NASCAR Television
contract: ESPN and ABC Sports are expected to
announce soon that they have acquired the
July-to-November package of Nascar races that has been
carried by NBC and TNT since 2001, said executives
involved in the talks who insisted on anonymity because
the contract had not been completed. The six-year
ESPN-ABC deal is worth an estimated $280 million
annually and will last through 2012, the executives
said. At $280 million annually, the ESPN-ABC pairing
will pay 40 percent more than the $200 million a year
that the NBC-TNT joint venture has paid since 2001 and
will pay through next season. (New
York Times)
Oct. 14, 2005:
NBC pulls out of TV Renewal talks: NBC has
withdrawn from negotiations to continue as a NASCAR
television partner beyond the 2006 season, opening a
door through which ABC/ESPN may walk to return to the
sport, The Charlotte Observer has learned. NBC informed
NASCAR just more than a week ago that the network felt
NASCAR's asking price for rights to Nextel Cup and Busch
Series races was higher than the value of the package, a
source told the Observer. Current television partners
had an exclusive negotiating window in which they could
work with NASCAR on a new deal. (Ohio.com)
Final
Kansas TV ratings up 7.1%: NBC's broadcast of last
Sunday's Banquet 400 Nextel Cup race earned a 4.5 rating
and a 9 share from Nielsen Media Research, Street &
Smith's SportsBusiness Daily reports. The final rating
is up 7.1 percent from last year's 4.2 rating and 25
percent from the 3.6 overnight figure from this year. (NASCAR
Scene Daily Newsletter)
Oct. 13, 2005:
DFW NASCAR ratings on the rise: The
interest in NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series racing in the
Dallas-Fort Worth television market continues to
skyrocket leading into the Dickies 500. The area has
moved to the number one position past San Francisco in
the increase of NEXTEL Cup TV ratings for the top 20
U.S. markets. DFW maintained the top spot for the
increase in average number of households watching events
compared to 2004. The DFW area broadcast ratings for
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup races have increased 18% this year,
5.8 compared to 2004’s 4.9. The average number of DFW
households watching NEXTEL Cup action this year is
133,000, an increase of 20%. Both figures lead the other
19 U.S. major markets. Year to date, DFW has more total
households watching NEXTEL Cup racing on average than
New York, Los Angeles or Chicago. (TMS PR)
Oct. 9, 2005:
New television deal near complete before '05
season: Negotiations for a new Nextel Cup television
contract could be completed before the end of the
season, NASCAR chairman Brian France said. The current
$2.6 billion, six-year contract, with Fox and NBC
splitting the season, expires at the end of the 2006
season. "We're getting down to the wire," France said
Saturday at Kansas Speedway. "Looks to be in the next
four to six weeks or sooner there will be some firm
announcements of where we'll land." France would not
comment on which networks are part of the negotiations,
but speculation has centered on ESPN and ABC, its parent
company, joining Fox and NBC, each of the entities
taking one-third of the season. FOX would get the
Daytona 500 and the first third of the season, ESPN and
ABC would divvy up the middle third, including the
Brickyard race, and NBC would televise the 10-race Chase
for the championship. "It's competitive," France said of
the bargaining. "But the last three, four weeks we've
been very surprised at all the interest in network to
cable. "The package may change and look a little
different, but we're very convinced we'll get proper
value. We're more concerned about getting the right
partners. We've got great ones now, but we want to make
sure whatever happens we get partners who treat us like
our current partners do." (ESPN.com)
Oct. 6, 2005:
NASCAR Talladega
Final Ratings: NBC drew a 5.3 national rating and 11
share for last week's NASCAR Nextel Cup Racing from
Talladega, off slightly from 2004 (5.4/12) and
representing a 77 percent increase over 2000, the last
year before NBC began broadcasting the event (3.0
converted national rating on ESPN). NBC & TNT's average
2005 rating is a 4.6 through 12 races, up 2 percent over
2004 and up 59 percent over 2000 (2.9 through 13 races).
The top ten metered markets for NBC's Talladega
broadcast are as follows: 1) Greensboro, NC 13.1; 2)
Greenville, SC 12.7; 3) Knoxville, TN 12.6; 4)
Birmingham, AL 12.0; 5) Charlotte, NC 10.9; 6)
Louisville, KY 9.8; 7) Atlanta, GA 9.3; 8) Jacksonville,
FL 8.5; 9) Raleigh-Durham, NC 8.3; t10) Indianapolis, IN
7.8; t10) Richmond, VA 7.8. (NBC PR)
Oct. 4, 2005:
Early 'Dega television ratings same as '04: NBC's
broadcast of Sunday's UAW-Ford 500 earned a 4.6
overnight rating from Nielsen Media Research and a 9
market share to match the overnight figures of 2004,
Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Daily reports. (NASCAR
Scene Daily Newsletter)
Oct. 1, 2005:
Stewart on the Chris Myers Show: NASCAR
driver Tony Stewart is brash, unforgiving and willing to
do anything to win. He has managed to become racing's
hero and villain simultaneously. Not afraid of bumping
another driver to gain just the slightest open space he
can exploit, Stewart is also deeply respectful of the
sport and his competitors. As he prepares to try to
climb up the standings from fifth to first in the Nextel
Chase for the Cup, he sits down for a candid interview
with Chris Myers, touching on NASCAR, team owner Joe
Gibbs and why the media is convinced he hates Jeff
Gordon. CMI: THE CHRIS MYERS INTERVIEW WITH TONY STEWART
is telecast on Sun., Oct. 2 at 10:30 PM local. Stewart,
the 2002 NASCAR points champion, is one of the most
intense drivers in racing. His outbursts on the track
make sports television highlights and NASCAR's
lowlights. When he feels another driver made a mistake
that cost him, Stewart is quick to show his displeasure.
His screaming rants at other drivers are legendary in
NASCAR circles. And because he knows that unlike most
professions, every time he gets in a car, it's a life
and death situation, Stewart sees no reason to hide his
emotions. Myers gets Stewart to open up about those
emotions, why he thinks he'll stick with smaller tracks
after his career is over and asks Stewart point blank
about his on-track rivalry with Jeff Gordon. (FSN PR)
Suit over NASCAR Drivers: 360: Two
Middle Tennessee video producers are taking on NASCAR,
claiming that the company stole their ideas for a
reality television show they pitched in 2001. Andrew
Baird, who resides in Sumner County, and Bill Balsley,
of Williamson County, say the television program
NASCAR Drivers: 360, now in its second season on
cable's FX Network, is based on an idea they'd hatched.
Baird and Balsley have sued the stock car racing giant,
its associated firms NASCAR Images and NASCAR Digital
Entertainment, and Dave Hall, an agent who was to broker
the deal. Yesterday several motions were heard in the
suit in Sumner County Circuit Court as both sides
prepare for a trial next August. "We allege that my
clients went to NASCAR with the ideas, that they spoke
with upper levels of management and that we had an oral
agreement with them,'' said Andy Allman, attorney for
Baird and Balsley. NASCAR's Nashville attorney, Eddie
Wayland, said, "We feel the lawsuit is without merit and
we intend to vigorously defend them against the
lawsuit." The lawsuit, which seeks $20 million and
punitive damages, alleges that Baird and Balsley created
a program they titled Drafting. (The
Tennessean)
Sep. 29, 2005:
More on Ferrell movie including Talladega taping
and D.W.: The folks congregating for the races
this weekend at Alabama's 175,000-capacity Talladega
Superspeedway will have some interesting visitors on
hand - Will Ferrell and company, shooting scenes for the
yet-untitled Columbia comedy in which he plays a NASCAR
driver named Ricky Bobby. "It's going to be fun,
probably pretty rough and hectic," guesses Leslie Bibb,
who's playing the highly manicured wife of Will's
character. She makes it clear they're not mocking
NASCAR. "The people in NASCAR are going to love the
movie," she says. "They're an integral part of it. We're
not spoofing them - this huge, fastest-growing sport in
America. It's definitely getting their OK stamp." The
flick also features John C. Reilly, Sacha Baron Cohen
(Ali G), Michael Clarke Duncan, Gary Cole and a string
of star cameos. (L.A.
Daily) Also, Waltrip has been busy lately,
working on the new Pixar film, Cars, and has committed
to an upcoming film featuring Will Ferrell as a racecar
driver. "Larry, Mike and I are gonna be in the Will
Ferrell movie," Waltrip said, referring to his fellow
truck announcers. "I’m sure we’ll be in a booth calling
a race somewhere." (Bristol
Herald Courier)
NASCAR on TNT ratings up 11% over 2004:
Turner Network Television’s (TNT) seven-race NASCAR
coverage drove home record-setting ratings this season,
boasting an 11 percent increase for NEXTEL Cup races on
the network over the prior year. TNT’s banner year for
race coverage included televising cable’s top three
NASCAR races of all time in household delivery,
including the July 24th NEXTEL Cup race from Pocono, PA
(5,137,000 HH, 4.7 US rating), the July 17th NEXTEL Cup
race from Loudon, NH (4,954,000 HH, 4.5 US rating) and
the August 21st NEXTEL Cup race from Brooklyn, MI
(4,889,000 HH, 4.5 US rating). The network concluded its
NASCAR coverage on September 25th with NEXTEL Cup racing
from Dover, DE drawing a 3.1 US rating (3,411,000 HH),
on par with the race the year prior. (Turner Sports PR)
Dover ratings slightly down: TNT says its
coverage of Sunday's MBNA Racepoints 400 from Dover
International Speedway earned a 3.1 U.S. rating, down
from 3.2 in 2004, but says its average for its seven Cup
races this season was up 11% from 2004. TNT says its
races this year included three of cable television's top
NASCAR races of all time in household delivery,
including the July 24 race at Pocono, (5.14 million
households, 4.7 U.S. rating), the July 17 race at New
Hampshire (4.95 million households, 4.5 U.S. rating),
and the Aug. 21 race at Michigan International Speedway
(4.89 million households, 4.5 U.S. rating). (NASCAR
Scene Daily Newsletter)
Sep. 23, 2005:
NASCAR TNT Ratings up 21%: As TNT heads down
the stretch of its NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series schedule
with its final race in the Chase this Sunday, Sept. 25
in Dover, DE (1:00 pm ET), it does so on the heels of a
21-percent ratings increase from this past Sunday's
Sylvania 300 from New Hampshire The race, the first of
10 to determine the 2005 NEXTEL Cup Champion, delivered
a 3.4 U.S Rating (4.2 cable rating) versus a 2.8 U.S.
rating (3.4 cable) for last year's race on TNT. The
network's coverage of Ryan Newman's victory in New
Hampshire also showed tremendous growth in households,
gaining 24-percent and nearly three-quarters of a
million viewers (3.786K in '05 to 3.054 in '04). Wally
Dallenbach's guest in his signature Wally's World car
will be NFL All-Pro linebacker Ray Lewis of the
Baltimore Ravens. (TNT/NBC Universal Sports)
Baseball, NASCAR both claims to be #2: Break
out the two-digit foam fingers and dueling "We're No.
2!" chants. Major League Baseball officials are
beginning to dispute NASCAR's assertion that when it
comes to television ratings, stock car racing takes a
back seat only to the NFL. In the 2005 Nextel Cup series
media guide, NASCAR proclaims itself "the #2 rated sport
on television in the United States." NASCAR officials
regularly repeat the claim as they try to drum up
respect and acceptance of their sport from advertisers
and the mainstream media. The problem, an MLB executive
says, is the numbers don't add up in NASCAR's favor when
baseball's playoff and All-Star Game ratings are
included in the comparison — something he says NASCAR
doesn't do in the numbers it distributes to advertisers.
NASCAR officials maintain their network ratings are
higher than baseball's for most of the year, making them
the No. 2 TV sport. "We know pundits are going to come
up with various ways to dispute facts in every
situation," NASCAR vice president of communications Jim
Hunter said via e-mail. "However, we are proud to hold
the No. 2 position on television." (USA
Today)
Biffle on Yes Dear: Jimmy (Mike O'Malley) and
Greg (Anthony Clark) become partners in the next lawn
mower race after Jimmy comes in last place due to a slow
lawn mower, on YES, DEAR, Wednesday, Oct. 5 (8:30-9:00
PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Mark
Cendrowski directed the episode written by Gigi McCreery
and Perry Rein. NASCAR driver Greg Biffle guests stars
as one of competitors in the lawn mower competition.
Jimmy enters himself in an amateur lawn mower racing
contest but is discouraged when he comes in last place
in his first race. Seeing the disappointment in Sammy's
face, Greg decides to finance the next competition as a
way to bond with his son, who is part of Jimmy's pit
crew. But when Greg starts acting like an owner instead
of a sponsor, Jimmy pulls out of the race leaving an
inexperienced Greg worried that he might have to step
in. (CBS Entertainment PR)
Sep. 21, 2005:
Kyle Busch to appear on Oprah: Just three
weeks after becoming the youngest driver to win a NASCAR
NEXTEL Cup Series event, Kyle Busch (No. 5 Kellogg’s
Chevrolet) will appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show on
Friday, Sept. 23. “Meeting Oprah and being on the show
was an incredible experience,” said Busch. “My mom (Gaye
Busch) and grandma (Joann Busch) came to the taping.
They’re huge Oprah fans and never miss a show, so it was
a neat experience for all of us. We had a great time in
Chicago. Oprah was awesome and I just feel lucky to have
an opportunity like that. I was a little nervous, but
hopefully I did OK.” (HMS PR)
Sep. 20, 2005:
TNT/NBC out after 06? word has already been
leaked to the staff at NBC and TNT not to expect to come
back following the 2006 season. (Yahoo!
Sports)
Sep. 15, 2005:
New Sunoco commercials: Sunoco, which has a
10-year, $8 million a year sponsorship as the official
fuel of NASCAR, will launch two national TV spots this
month, using Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick in
humorous spots. (Salem-Journal)
Wally's World raises 16k for Katrina relief
efforts: Turner Network Television (TNT), in a
unique effort to raise funds for the American Red Cross’
Hurricane Relief Fund, today announced the winning bid
of $16,100 for the recently auctioned opportunity to
ride along with TNT/NBC NASCAR analyst Wally Dallenbach
and appear in his signature pre-race segment Wally’s
World driven by State Farm. The winner of the auction
was Kris Rose of Lexington, KY, who bid on the once in a
lifetime experience via NASCAR.COM as a 14th year
wedding anniversary gift for her husband, Jamie. The
ride along will take place on Friday, Sept. 16 and will
air on Sunday, Sept. 18 at 12:30 p.m. ET during the
network’s pre race coverage of NASCAR NEXTEL Series Cup
Racing from Loudon. “It’s not everyday that you get a
chance to help people whose lives have been so
completely uprooted. NASCAR and TNT’s joint effort to
organize this auction in less than a week was an amazing
feat,” said Rose, a stockbroker and mother of six. “I am
very proud that so many Americans have opened their
pocketbooks and hearts to those affected by Hurricane
Katrina.” The Roses will also receive: airfare, hotel
accommodations, transportation, suite tickets and VIP
Access at the track, which includes a garage tour for
two. This marks the first time that TNT has auctioned
off the highly coveted shotgun seat in the Wally’s World
pre-race segment, usually reserved for celebrities, such
as Ben Affleck, Jamie Foxx, Lisa Marie Pressley and
Quentin Tarantino. “Of all the great people I’ve had in
the car, this one is special to me because it has the
added benefit of helping a worthy cause,” said
Dallenbach. (Turner Sports, Inc. PR)
Sep. 14, 2005:
Stewart media tour, includes Late Show tonight,
NBC Today, ESPN: Riding a 12-race summer hot streak
that includes five wins, a pole and 12 straight top-10
finishes, NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series driver Tony Stewart
has caught the attention of mainstream media. The driver
of the #20 Home Depot Chevrolet for Joe Gibbs Racing
will appear tonight on CBS' "Late Show with David
Letterman." There, Stewart and Letterman - both of whom
are Indiana natives - will no doubt discuss their
stirring victories at the famed Indianapolis Motor
Speedway. Stewart won the Aug. 7 Allstate 400 at the
Brickyard as a driver, while Letterman won the 2004
Indianapolis 500 as an owner with his driver, Buddy
Rice. Stewart will maintain his national television
presence with a Thursday morning visit to NBC's "Today"
show. Following his trip to 30 Rockefeller Center,
Stewart will appear on a variety of ESPN outlets, most
notably ESPN2's "Cold Pizza" and ESPNEWS' "Hot List."
Continuing the ESPN theme, Stewart is on the cover of
this week's ESPN Magazine. Writer Tom Friend spent a day
with Stewart prior to the Labor Day weekend Nextel Cup
race at California Speedway, and before the interview,
talked with numerous friends and family members to
complete one of the most in-depth profiles of the
24-time Nextel Cup race victor. (JGR
PR)
Sep. 12, 2005:
Stewart to appear on Late Show with David
Lettermen: CBS says Nextel Cup points leader Tony
Stewart is scheduled to appear on the "Late Show With
David Letterman" Wednesday. The show airs at 11:30 p.m.
Eastern and Pacific time. (Scene Daily Newsletter)
Imus to air from New Hampshire: New Hampshire
International Speedway says Don Imus' nationally
syndicated "Imus In the Morning" radio show will air
from the track on Friday. The show, which runs
from 5:30 to 10 a.m., is also carried on the MSNBC cable
television station. Tickets, which are $20 each,
are available through NHIS Guest Services at (603)
783-4931 or through The Wolf 93.3 FM radio station at
(603) 228-9036. All proceeds go to the Imus Ranch in New
Mexico for children with serious illnesses. (Scene
Daily Newsletter)
Sep. 8, 2005
Record Ratings NASCAR ratings in LA: The Los
Angeles market rating for last Sunday's SONY HD 500 rose
47 percent compared to last year's Labor Day race
weekend event at California Speedway, according to data
released today by NBC. The NBC broadcast of the SONY HD
500 drew a 2.5 rating in Los Angeles, compared to last
year's Labor Day race, which finished with a 1.7 rating,
and early indications are that the national rating may
also rise. Preliminary national ratings show a 5.2
rating and 10 share, up from last year's final 5.1
rating, for race 25 on the "Race to the Chase" for the
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series. "I'm ecstatic to hear of the
increased television numbers in Los Angeles. We had
tremendous attendance at the speedway, just missing a
sellout, but we also had strong viewership in our
market, which speaks to the long-term growth of NASCAR
in Los Angeles," speedway President Gillian Zucker said.
"People in Los Angeles are excited about the sport. They
get it. They follow it. Everyday, more and more people
are hearing the NASCAR message in Los Angeles, and we
are building more fans for the future. We will continue
to be aggressive in our outreach throughout the Los
Angeles market. "I've heard from so many fans already
about how much they enjoyed the atmosphere at the
speedway last weekend, from skydivers to concerts, more
celebrities in attendance than ever before, improved
food options and easy access into and out of the race.
Positive experiences like this are infectious, and I'm
sure the word will spread about the big-event atmosphere
at California Speedway," Zucker continued. "We are
committed to bring more new and innovative amenities in
an effort to increase the fan experience even further at
California Speedway." Earlier this year, California
Speedway's Auto Club 500 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race
drew a 4.0 rating in the Los Angeles market, which was a
33 percent increase over the 2004 Auto Club 500 rating
of 3.0. National ratings topped out at 7.9, the highest
ever for a non-Daytona 500 NASCAR event. (California
Speedway PR)
Final Ratings Up: NBC says its
broadcast of Sunday's Sony HD 500 Nextel Cup race at
California earned a final 5.2 rating and a 10 share from
Nielsen Media Research, a 2% increase over the 5.1/10 in
2004. NBC also says the eight races carried by NBC and
TNT so far this season have averaged a 5.0/11, up 11%
over last year's 4.5/10 average. (NASCAR
Scene Daily Newsletter)
Sep. 5, 2005
CBS wins Sunday night ratings, NBC & NASCAR pulls
in coveted 18-49: CBS was the big ratings
winner, winning the most viewers for each time slot,
although NBC's NASCAR coverage won the coveted 18-49
demographic for Sunday night. Overall, the Eye network
averaged a 6.4 rating/12 share, well ahead of NBC,
4.6/9, ABC, 2.9/5, FOX, 2.7/5 and last-place finisher
The WB at 1.2/2. Younger viewers gratified their need
for speed with four hours of NASCAR coverage, winning
the adults ages 18-49 ratubg with a 2.6. CBS and FOX
tied for second with a 2.0, while ABC followed with a
1.4 and The WB trailed with a 0.7. CBS started
with a bang, scoring the highest rating for the evening
at 7 p.m. with a 7.6/17 for "60 Minutes." NBC's NASCAR
program just kept up with a 3.3, while ABC took third
for "America's Funniest Home Videos" with a 2.9/7. (Zap2it)
Aug 30, 2005
TNT Bristol Ratings up: Bristol ratings rise
15% as TNT sets to roll out exclusive unreleased Rolling
Stones single in movie theatre ads nationwide through
National CineMedia For the fourth time in as many races
this season, Turner Network Television's (TNT) NASCAR
NEXTEL Cup Series ratings rose, with the Sharpie 500
Bristol night race yielding a 15-percent increase from
the previous year. The race, which delivered a 3.9 US
rating (4.7 national cable rating), up from a 3.4 in '04
(4.2 cable), also set a new household delivery mark for
Bristol for TNT, gaining over half a million homes over
last year's 3.72 million to the new high of 4.25 million
homes in '05. TNT's three previous NEXTEL Cup Series
races in New Hampshire (7/17 - 4.95 million homes),
Pocono (7/24 - 5.14 million homes) and Michigan (8/21 -
4.89 million homes) also saw marked increases and
delivered record-setting viewership. (Turner Sports PR)
Latest on television renewal talks: NBC
Universal Sports and Turner Broadcasting have told
NASCAR they won't pay the kind of double-digit
television rights fee increases the sanctioning body
wants, Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Journal
reports. In a story attributed to multiple industry
sources, the publication also says the two have also
rebuffed NASCAR's request to move up the negotiating
timetable. The story says the sides held only sporadic
meetings this summer that made little progress in lining
up a new contract to replace the one that expires after
the 2006 season. NBC and Turner currently
share NASCAR rights for the second half of each season,
and the story says Turner will likely try to strike its
own deal if NBC decides not to renew. Writer Andy
Bernstein reports that NASCAR officials believe they can
get the sort of 27 percent fee increases that the NFL
got for its broadcast packages with Fox and CBS, noting
that ABC and ESPN have expressed interest in carrying
NASCAR races. (SceneDaily)
Aug 24, 2005
NASCAR on TNT ratings continue to rise:
NASCAR ratings on Turner Network Television (TNT)
continue to climb as the network yielded a 15 percent
increase for Sunday's NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Racing from
Michigan presented by Transporter 2 from the Michigan
International Speedway on Sunday, August 21. The NEXTEL
Cup Series race earned a 5.5 cable rating (4.5 US) and
4,889,000 households, up from 4.8 (3.9 US, 4,223,000
households) in 2004. The Busch Series race increased 27
percent, earning a 1.9 cable rating (1.5 US), up from
1.5 cable (1.2 US) over last year. The ratings increase
marks the third consecutive ratings rise for TNT NEXTEL
Cup races this season and ranks as the third
most-watched NEXTEL Cup race in cable television
history, behind TNT's coverage this year of the
Pennsylvania 500 on July 24 (#1), and New England 300 on
July 17 (#2). (Turner Sports PR)
Aug 22, 2005
Parson pays tribute to Father: Detroit native
Benny Parsons, a former racer who is an analyst on TNT,
worked Sunday's race with a heavy heart. Parsons'
father, Harold, died Tuesday. Parsons, who was unable to
attend his induction into the Motorsports Hall of Fame
of America on Thursday in Detroit, flew in early Sunday
to work for TNT. "I'm doing exactly what my father would
have wanted me to do," Parsons said. "He always told me
'You've got a job to do, you do it to the best of your
ability, if possible.' This track has added significance
to me because my family moved 75 miles from here years
ago for better paying jobs." (Detroit
News)
Aug 19, 2005
Watkins Glen NASCAR Ratings: Sunday's
race at Watkins Glen drew a 4.3 overnight rating for
NBC. That's down from a 5.0 rating in 2003, the last
time the Watkins Glen race was broadcast on NBC. (NASCAR.com)
Aug 16, 2005
Parsons to be inducted into Motorsports Racing
Hall of Fame of America: Benny Parsons, an analyst
for TNT and NBC, will be inducted into the Motorsports
Racing Hall of Fame of America on Thursday August 18, at
the State Theatre in Detroit, just five miles from where
his racing career started on Six Mile and Woodward in
1960. Joining Parsons among the nine inductees are
Indianapolis 500 winner Tom Sneva, and LeMans 24-hour
king Hurley Haywood. The weekend will be a busy one for
Parsons, the 1973 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Champion and 1975
Daytona 500 winner, who will call two races on TNT; the
NASCAR Busch Series Domino’s Pizza 250 on Saturday at 3
pm ET, and the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series from Michigan
presented by Transporter 2 on Sunday at 2:00 pm ET.
(Turner Sports. PR)
Aug 13, 2005
Ali Green and Will Ferrell NASCAR Movie: Sacha Baron Cohen, a.k.a. Ali G, will play a gay
French Formula One driver in the untitled NASCAR comedy
starring Will Ferrell. Also on board the Columbia
Pictures project are John C. Reilly, Michael Clarke
Duncan and Gary Cole. Ferrell ("Bewitched") plays Ricky
Bobby, a world-class race car driver and fan favourite.
Cohen, hot off the success of his HBO comedy series "Da
Ali G Show," will play Jean Girard, who comes to the
U.S. to conquer NASCAR and defeat Ferrell. Reilly, who
is filming Robert Altman's "A Prairie Home Companion,"
will play Cal Naughton, Ferrell's boyhood friend who
together with Ferrell forms "Thunder & Lightning," the
most feared racing duo in NASCAR. Duncan will play
Lucius Washington, a crew chief whose main job is to
harness Ferrell's go-for-broke attitude and keep him
from crashing. Cole will play Reese Bobby, Ferrell's
estranged father who re-enters his life to help him
return to the top of the racing world. (Reuters)
Aug 12, 2005
Dale Jr. on QVC: Be sure to circle Friday,
Aug. 19 on your calendars and set your Tivo, VCR, DVDR,
or whatever you use to record shows if you can’t watch
them live. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. will be making an
appearance on the popular shopping network that evening
from Michigan International Speedway. He’ll be talking
about some new die-casts, jackets and maybe even a new
DVD project where he helped out a friend. (DEI
Newsletter)
Aug 11, 2005
NBC NASCAR continues on to Watkins Glen: The
NASCAR Nextel Cup "Race for the Chase" continues Sunday
on NBC with NASCAR Nextel Cup Racing from Watkins Glen,
N.Y. The "Bank of America Countdown to Green" pre-race
show begins at 1 p.m. ET, with race coverage at 1:30
p.m. ET. NASCAR on NBC coverage kicks off this weekend
on Saturday with NASCAR Busch Series Racing from Watkins
Glen, where NBC & TNT analyst Wally Dallenbach will get
behind the wheel for the first time this season, and
will talk live with play-by-play announcer Bill Weber
and analyst Benny Parsons during the race. Kevin
Harvick, who is currently 13th in the NASCAR Nextel Cup
points standings heading into "The Glen," will serve as
guest analyst on Saturday afternoon while Dallenbach
hits the road. On "Wally's World" this week,
Dallenbach hosts U.S. Olympic silver medalist Todd
Shays, who took home the silver in Salt Lake as part of
the U.S. bobsled team. 54 Cameras & "Squash-Cam"
Returns: NBC's production arsenal includes 54
cameras, including nine "In-Car Cams" to cover the road
course at Watkins Glen. "Squash-Cam," used last week at
the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, will be taken to
Watkins Glen for this Sunday's race. "Squash-Cam" is a
lipstick-size camera that will be buried in the grass in
the inner-loop (chicane) at Watkins Glen. The camera
often shows a car moving over or extremely close to the
camera lens to give the audience the feeling of being
"squashed." (NBC Universal PR)
Jeff Gordon on Larry King Live: Jeff Gordon,
four-time NASCAR Series champion and driver of the No.
24 DuPont Chevrolet, is scheduled to make his fourth
appearance on “Larry King Live” on Monday, August 15.
“Larry King Live,” CNN’s highest-rated program, airs
from 9 - 10 p.m. ET every night and is broadcast in more
than 212 countries and territories worldwide.
Aug 10, 2005
NBC Brickyard ratings increase over last year,
and nearly 70% over 5 yrs.: NBC Sports' coverage of
the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard earned a 6.2 rating
and 15 share on Sunday, matching the second highest
rating in the history of the event, with more than 19
million people tuning in to all or part of the
broadcast. The 6.2/15 is a 2% increase over the rating
for last year's race (6.1/15) and a three% increase over
2003 (6.0/15). NBC's coverage of the race in 2002 set
the record high for the event (6.3/16); NBC's 2001
broadcast also earned a 6.2. In the five years that NBC
has broadcast the Brickyard, the rating has grown 68%
(6.2/15 vs. 3.7/12 on ABC in 2000). The NBC/TNT
four-race, season-to-date average national rating,
excluding the Pepsi 400, which alternates yearly between
NBC and FOX, stands at a 5.3, up 56% over 2000 (3.4),
the last year before NBC/TNT began exclusively
broadcasting the second half of the NASCAR Nextel Cup
season. The 5.3 season-to-date average is up 8% over
last year's 4.9 for the same four races, and up 15% over
2003 (4.6) (the comparison to 2000 excludes NBC's
coverage of Nextel Cup Racing from Chicagoland Speedway,
which began hosting NASCAR events in 2001). Sunday's
rating peaked at a 7.9 between 6-6:15pm/et as hometown
hero Tony Stewart took the checkered flag for the first
time at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The top-rated
markets for NBC's coverage of the Allstate 400 at the
Brickyard are as follows: 1) Indianapolis, 19.4; 2)
Greensboro, 14.0; 3) Knoxville, 13.6; 4) Greenville,
12.8; 5) Charlotte, 12.0; 6) Jacksonville, 11.9; 7)
Nashville, 11.4; 8) Louisville, 10.9; 9) Atlanta, 10.5;
10) Dayton, 9.7.(NBC PR)
Aug 3, 2005
Current NASCAR TV Deal to look similar to next: The last time NASCAR negotiated a television deal,
Richard Glover was on the other side of the table and
didn't particularly like how things turned out. During
talks for the sport's first comprehensive network
contract for the Nextel Cup and Busch series, Glover was
executive vice president for programming for ESPN. That
cable network and its partner, ABC, lost out in the deal
that went to Fox and NBC/TNT. This time around, however,
Glover is on the NASCAR side of the talks. As vice
president for broadcasting and new media, he'll play a
major role in the deal that will begin with the start of
the 2007 season. "Clearly, based on what Fox and NBC and
Turner have said, and what we think as well, the current
deal has worked well," Glover said. "That's why I have
said I don't see wholesale kinds of changes this time,
as there were five years ago. "That's why I like to use
the word 'tweaks.' Our job is to make our product more
valuable and better to serve the needs of both the
industry and our broadcast partners." The current deals
signed in 1999 that began with the 2001 season all
included provisions that give the current rights-holders
exclusive negotiating periods for new deals. The last of
those, Glover said, runs out late this year. Right now,
Glover said, it appears that the structure of the new
deal for Nextel Cup would look a lot like the current
one. (Charlotte
Observer)
Aug 2, 2005
Brickyard 400 first
High-Def Telecast: NBC Sports' coverage of the
Allstate 400 at the Brickyard from world famous
Indianapolis Motor Speedway gets underway this Sunday
with the "Bank of America Countdown to Green" pre-race
show at 2 p.m. ET followed by green flag racing live
from Indy. TNT kicks off NASCAR coverage on Saturday
with Bud Pole Qualifying live at 6 p.m. ET, followed by
NASCAR Busch Series Racing from nearby Indianapolis
Raceway Park, at 8:30 p.m. ET. The Allstate 400 at the
Brickyard will be the first ever high-definition
broadcast from Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with 5.1
surround-sound. 74 CAMERAS: SQUASH-CAM, WALL-CAMS &
FLAG-CAM, ALL IN HIGH-DEFINITION: NBC Sports will
deploy 74 cameras including cameras unique to
Indianapolis Motor Speedway: "Squash-Cam," "Pylon-Cam,"
"Wall-Cams" and "Flag-Cam," in addition to eight
"In-Car-Cams." An extra bank of six monitors will be
added to the NBC Sports production truck to accommodate
the additional cameras for the Allstate 400 at the
Brickyard. For the first time ever at Indianapolis Motor
Speedway, the entire race will be broadcast in
high-definition. The "Flag-Cam" shoots toward Turn
4 down the frontstretch, allowing viewers at home to see
cars coming directly towards them. "Squash-Cam" is a
lipstick-size camera buried in the grass just inside
Turn 1. The camera often shows a car moving over or
extremely close to the camera lens to give the audience
the feeling of being "squashed," especially on starts
and restarts. "Wall-Cam" is a lipstick-size camera
embedded inside the outside wall of Turn 2 and Turn 4.
The cameras shoot cars in Turns 1 and 3 respectively and
give the viewer the sense of speed of the cars when they
drive past the cameras. The "Pylon-Cam" is a robotic
camera atop the scoring pylon 92-feet in the air
overlooking the infield and providing viewers a sense of
the magnificent spectacle of Indianapolis Motor Speedway
with its "Canyon of Fans" in the grandstands on either
side of the racetrack's frontstretch. "Going to Indy is
like going to no other track in the country, it's a true
spectacle," says NASCAR on NBC & TNT director Mike
Wells. "You can't see the whole track from anyplace in
the stands, only from an aerial view-you almost have to
treat the Brickyard as if it's a road course, even
though it's an oval, because it's so big and there's so
much in the infield. "Two out of three of the biggest
races in motorsports are here at Indy, the Brickyard is
just one of those great events that you want to be a
part of." (NBC/Universal PR)ifting people's
perceptions of Fontana. (Daily
Bulletin)
Aug 1, 2005
Chase Series show planned on Speed: Speed
Channel plans to launch a weekly show devoted solely to
NASCAR's Chase For The Nextel Cup, Street & Smith's
SportsBusiness Journal reports. The 10-week
series, tentatively titled "The Chase Is On," is
scheduled to air from 8 to 8:30 p.m. (Eastern) Thursdays
from Sept. 15 through Nov. 17. Ralph Sheehen will be the
host, and the network is looking for a Nextel Cup driver
to work with him on a show that is expected to be
similar to the NFL Network's "NFL Playbook." (NASCAR
Scene Plus)
July 31, 2005
Lisa Maria stars in the latest NASCAR commercial: She's the face of the latest 30-second NASCAR ad
that asks, "How bad have you got it?" The commercial
combines footage of Lisa Marie at the Pepsi 400, race
footage and her song Thanx off the Now What
album. NASCAR also is in discussions with Capitol
Records for cross-promotion at retail and radio venues
around the Presley-NASCAR relationship. (NASCAR.com)
Busch Series to ESPN? The ABC/ESPN group,
which lost broadcast rights to its competitors after the
inaugural NASCAR television contracts were announced in
1999, wants to get back into the racing game. From 1979
through 1999, individual racetracks negotiated their own
deals with the TV industry. NASCAR racing was scattered
across the dial, with every major network, with the
exception of Fox, televising races. NASCAR gathered up
all those individual TV rights and went to the
negotiating table armed with a racing package. When all
was said and done, Fox/FX secured the first half of the
Nextel Cup season while NBC/Turner got dibs on the
second half of the schedule. Glover says there have been
discussions about separating the Nextel Cup and Busch
Series in the next TV package. The two series have been
attached at the hip in all other previous contract
negotiations. ESPN is seriously interested in the Busch
Series. "It is one of the things that's being talked
about and looked at," Glover said. "That is one of the
things we are discussing -- maybe not all the Busch
Series races being on a single network. (News-Journal)
July 27, 2005
Highest rated cable race: Turner Network
Television (TNT) NASCAR ratings have zoomed to the top,
with the Pennsylvania 500 (Sunday, July 24th) and the
New England 300 (Saturday, July 17th) driving home
record-setting ratings for the network for the past two
consecutive Sundays. The Pennsylvania 500 earned a 5.7
US rating (5,137,000 households) - a 21 percent increase
over the year prior - making it the highest-rated and
most watched NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series event in TNT’s
21-year history of airing NASCAR on TNT and TBS. It also
stakes claim to the title as the second highest-rated
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series event ever on cable television
(trailing only behind the 6.2 rating on TNN for a 1999
race at the North Carolina Speedway). The 2005 New
England 300 delivered a 4.5 US rating (4,954,000
households), a 5 percent increase over the 2004 race,
earning it the #2 spot on TNT’s highest rated and most
watched races. (TNT PR)
July 26, 2005
Turner Sports turns highest NASCAR race in
network history: Turner Network Television says its
airing of Sunday's Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway
was the highest rated and most watched NASCAR event in
its 21-year history of televising the sport. The
race was seen in 5.137 million households and drew a 5.7
rating, a 21 percent increase over 2004, TNT says. The
network says its coverage of the July 17 New England 300
at New Hampshire International Speedway was seen in
4.954 million households and earned a 4.5 rating, a 5
percent increase over 2004. (NASCAR Scene Daily)
TNT, NASCAR and Val Pak team up for Promotion:
NASCAR is the theme for a TNT and Office Depot direct
marketing promotion using a Valpak mailer to reach 43
million households. The mailings will drop from July 27
to Aug. 26. The outer envelope carries the NASCAR
and TNT logos as well as images of the No. 99 car
sponsored by Office Depot. Two calls to action ask
consumers to watch NASCAR Nextel Cup races on TNT and to
enter Office Depot's Coolest Ride To School sweepstakes.
TNT will plug both Valpak and the sweeps during its
NASCAR broadcasts. Posters in Office Depot FSIs and
in-store materials at 1,000 Office Depot locations will
also promote the partners. Mailings in regions with
Office Depot locations encourage consumers to enter
either online or in-store to help build back-to-school
store traffic. Sweepstakes details are included in the
envelope. (Promo
Magazine)
July 25, 2005
Casting Call, Will Ferrell's NASCAR movie:
Will Ferrell's unnamed NASCAR movie is looking for
thousands of extras to play country music fans, line
dancers, racing fans, hospital workers and ordinary
people on the street. Beyond the extras, casting
director Shirley Crumley is looking for two boys, ages 6
and 10, to play Ferrell's sons. The boys will give up
school for three months while the shooting is taking
place. A private tutor will be hired for the boys. The
movie will begin filming Sept. 6 and run Tuesdays
through Saturdays until November. Extras could work as
little as one day to the full three months, depending on
the part. Casting for extras will be from 10 a.m. to 5
p.m. Saturday. Casting for the roles of Ferrell's two
sons will be from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Both sessions
will be at Charlotte's E.E. Waddell High School, 7030
Nations Ford Road. (Myrtle
Beach Online)
July 21, 2005
Burton joins NASCAR Live: Each Saturday for the
remainder of the 2005 season, Jeff Burton will join host
Steve Byrnes from the track on NASCAR Live! as they conduct
interviews, profile the competition and handicap the
weekend. Direct from each week's Nextel Cup venue, the SPEED
Channel stage truck is powered up for informative and lively
pre and post-race coverage of the weekend's activities. For
additional information on the program or to find the
location of the SPEED stage at the track, visit
www.speedtv.com. (RCR
PR)
More on Ferrell NASCAR Movie: Andrew Giangola,
NASCAR's director of business communications, says the
driving scenes will be authentic and the portrayal of life
at the track realistic. "We are very comfortable with the
script," Giangola says. Here are a few other details he
provided from his knowledge of the project: The story takes
place at race tracks around the country. Ferrell is a
buffoonish, but talented, driver. The movie follows him
through a season. Real drivers will appear in the
movie, although it's not yet clear who will have speaking
parts. (Charlotte
Observer)
July 14, 2005
Martinsville and Darlington to host Roush Reality show
More on Will Ferrrell NASCAR Movie: You know who’s
funny? Will Ferrell. Especially when he’s yelling. And given
the fact that the cockpit of a race car is probably one of
the noisiest places in the world, he’ll have plenty of
opportunity for just that as he stars as a NASCAR driver in
Talladega Nights. The film will once again team Ferrell with
Adam McKay, his director and co-writer for Anchorman: The
Legend of Ron Burgundy. Given the popularity of NASCAR, a
comedy about the rivalries and camaraderie that results
between the drivers in the sport should be a huge hit
amongst potential audiences. For those unfamiliar with this
brand of auto racing, Talladega is one of the major tracks
used for racing. Located in Alabama, it’s a perfect location
to capture the atmosphere that makes the sport so exciting
to so many. (Kim Hollis/BOP) (Box
Office Prophet)
July 13, 2005
Dave Despain to replace Bestwick on INC: Dave Despain,
host of Speed Channel's "Wind Tunnel" talk show, will take
over hosting duties for "Inside Nextel Cup" beginning Sept.
12, Speed Channel officials confirmed Tuesday night. Despain
replaces Allen Bestwick, former Motor Racing Network
announcer and currently lead pit reporter for NBC/TNT.
Bestwick has worked with the program for 10 years. In
addition, Speed Channel officials are working to add Nextel
Cup driver Kevin Harvick to the show as well. Harvick would
replace current panelist Johnny Benson. (ThatsRacin)
NBC's Finals Ratings Up: NBC's coverage of Sunday's
NASCAR Nextel Cup race from Chicagoland Speedway delivered a
5.7 national rating and 13 share, up 4% from the same race
last year (5.5/13 in 2004). The rating peaked between 6:30-7
p.m. ET with a 6.7/14 as Dale Earnhardt, Jr. took the
checkered flag for the first time this season. The top rated
markets for NBC's coverage of Sunday's race were: Greensboro
(12.6), Charlotte (12.1), Knoxville (11.9),
Greenville/Spartanburg, SC (11.8), Columbus (10.4),
Indianapolis (10.1), Nashville (9.8), Jacksonville (9.6),
Raleigh-Durham (9.2), Orlando (9.2), Atlanta (9.2).(NBC PR)
July 12, 2005
Chicago Overnight Ratings Down: NBC's broadcast of
Sunday's USG Sheetrock 400 Nextel Cup race at Chicagoland
Speedway earned a 4.9 overnight rating and an 11 market
share from Nielsen Media Research, Street & Smith's
SportsBusiness Daily reports. The rating is 5.8 percent
lower than the 5.2 overnight figure NBC drew for the Chicago
race last year. (Scene
Plus)
July 7, 2005
Pepsi 400 Ratings draw 5.5, up 6%: NBC's first NASCAR
telecast of the second half of the Nextel Cup race season,
the Pepsi 400 from Daytona International Speedway on
Saturday night, July 2, drew a 5.5 national rating and 13
share, up 6 percent over last year's race on Fox, despite a
two-and-a-half hour rain delay that resulted in the telecast
ending on Sunday at 2 a.m. NBC's live rain-delay coverage,
from 7:45 p.m. to 9:55 p.m. drew a 3.6 household rating, and
was the highest-rated program from 8-9 p.m. on Saturday. The
rain-delay coverage consisted of interviews with NASCAR
drivers during the delay. The race telecast averaged a solid
3.2/13 in the 18-49 demo from 9:55 |
