Indy 500
After 54 years on ABC, the Indianapolis 500 is moving to NBC in 2019. NBC has acquired the rights to present all IndyCar races, qualifying, practices, and Indy Lights races across its platforms beginning in 2019. Financial terms were not disclosed. Currently NBCSN airs most Indy races while ABC airs the Indy 500 and select other races.
“This arrangement brings all of IndyCar to one home, increases our exposure and includes our first direct-to-consumer offer for our fans,” said Mark Miles, CEO of Hulman & Company, which owns IndyCar and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “We couldn’t be happier to have start-to-finish coverage of IndyCar’s season with the NBC Sports Group.”
“We have had a wonderful and rewarding relationship with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Indianapolis 500 and IndyCar and it has been our distinct honor to be partners for so many years,” Burke Magnus, ESPN EVP Programming and Scheduling in a statement. “We look forward to the rest of our events this season and wish them all the best in the future.”
ESPN, which airs all sports programming on ABC, has become more selective about sports rights while fewer people subscribe to cable. At the same time, ESPN is developing a stable of rights for their upcoming ESPN+ direct-to-consumer offerings.