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Mike Reynolds
Accelerating its pace with NASCAR, Turner Sports has driven a deal to acquire all the stock car circuit's Internet rights and will become the exclusive producer of the sport's Web site.
Under terms of the accord, Turner Sports, which assumes the site production role from ESPN Internet Ventures, will re-launch NASCAR.com Jan. 1, 2001. The new site will continue to offer fans access to an array of content and features, such as news and notes from all the circuit's drivers, teams and tracks, audio feeds, Garage Cam, official up-to-the-minute point standings, chats with NASCAR personalities and live timing and scoring components.
Within several months, Turner is expected to add new branded content, videostreaming of race highlights, expanded garage cameras and photo galleries, archives of past races, live and taped audio, NASCAR fantasy leagues and columns by television analysts. Stock car fans also will have access to extensive lines of NASCAR merchandise and collectibles via the NASCAR Online Store.
Turner officials declined to comment about the terms, other than to say it is a multiyear pact. Published reports estimate the value at roughly $100 million over six years. Sources say there are various incentives at play tied to delivery and other factors that could influence both Turner's payout and the length of the contract.
As part and parcel, Turner also has secured NASCAR's exclusive Internet video rights, with an eye toward augmenting viewers experiences by supplementing network telecasts with live timing, real-time statistics, scoring and in-car cameras.
Turner Sports president Mark Lazarus says the company is "in the early stages of talks" with Fox about securing rights to offer Internet video during the broadcaster's first half of the year telecasts.
Relative to other videostreaming, Lazarus says NASCAR fans will not have to pay to view archival races and will "just be able to punch it up" on the site. At least initially, users would also not be charged for special in-car cameras that would track a driver throughout a race.
Although it will be run as a separate business, Lazarus says NASCAR Online is open to engaging Fox and NBC in discussions about ways in which marketers could complement their TV buys with positions on the Web site.
As is the case with the six-year, $2.8 billion TV rights deal that Fox and a venture between NBC and TBS Superstation inked last November, the online rights fees will be parceled to three entities: 65% to the tracks, 25% to the race teams and 10% to NASCAR.
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