If you are a NASCAR Xfinity Series fan tuning into The CW in a market with preemptions or programming overlaps, the newest TV partner wants you to know they are paying attention and working to solve the early challenges.
Generally speaking, the return of a national touring series to over-the-air network television has been a success in terms of audience and engagement. The race on Saturday at Phoenix Raceway drew 1.2 million viewers and was up 13 percent from last year when the same race aired on cable.
It’s not apples to apples but this is representative of the strategy of getting the second-tier division in more households.
However, there have been a handful of challenges like certain market affiliates not airing the races or pre-empting coverage to a later time. For example, the Detroit market has an agreement with the United Soccer League franchise that pre-dates the NASCAR agreement.
The Atlanta affiliate, Peachtree TV, aired a baseball commercial as soon as the race reached the final lap on Saturday. The CW Network issued an apology statement earlier in the week and stated that it received assurances from the affiliate that it wouldn’t happen again.
Speaking to network representatives familiar with the NASCAR partnership, Sportsnaut received an understanding of the dynamics shaping the early processes of the Xfinity Series agreement.
The CW mandates that all affiliates air sporting events under the ‘CW Sports’ umbrella. However, some markets like Detroit have preexisting agreements with local and regional sports. When this overlap occurs, the CW works with the affiliate to find a solution, which in this case was a tape-delayed airing.
The soccer game started roughly an hour after the green flag at Phoenix Raceway and the network aired syndicated programming to fill the space prior to the contractually obligated event.
This is why some fans aired grievances about Young Sheldon or The Modern Family airing instead of the Xfinity Series.
Again, those within CW Sports want fans to know they have heard the smattering of complaints and are frequently communicating through social media platforms when something comes across their desks. The advice they would provide to fans is to make their voices heard to their local affiliate that they want to see the NASCAR races in their home market so the feedback can guide programming decisions in the interim.
This leads towards the natural follow-up.
If races are not available in a certain market, why can they not be made available on The CW app? Nexstar Media Group controls a 75 percent ownership stake in The CW Network and that entity has a strong conviction in the linear broadcast model — meaning a focus on over-the-air the programming.
The app has started to become more functional in terms of live programming like practice and qualifying sessions — plus live in car cameras. The app also provides full race broadcast replays the next day, but at current time, live programming that is simulcast both on its linear channels and app is not something that Nexstar has caked into its business model.
Fans have also been encouraged to make sure that they are going to the right over-the-air channel. One person familiar with the partnership who spoke on background said there have been several complaints filed about availability that was easily solved by pointing the fan towards the actual current CW affiliate and not the channel that previously served as the affiliate.
All told, the CW and NASCAR is pleased with the partnership but both sides are open to continuing the work to make sure those who want to watch Xfinity Series race broadcasts live have the availability to do so.
Beyond the availability concerns, the broadcasts have been widely praised by fans for its tone and production quality. Produced out of NASCAR’s studio in Concord, North Carolina, the races feature a fresh roster talent spearheaded by veteran play-by-play voice Adam Alexander alongside longtime racers Parker Kligerman and Jamie McMurray.
