NASCAR ponders separate Busch TV deal
NASCAR has informed television networks that it may sell television rights to its Busch Series separately from its next Nextel Cup package, Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Journal reports.
Dick Glover, NASCAR vice president of broadcasting and new media, says the preference is maintain the current Cup-Busch packaging, but no decision has been made.
Writer Andy Bernstein reports that insiders predict that Nextel Cup and Busch Series rights will sell for about $500 million a year in the next contract, up from $400 million a year in the current deals with Fox and NBC/TNT.
Busch Series races on FX and TNT cable stations this year are averaging a 1.9 rating through 14 events, up 36 percent over 2004, while five series races on broadcast television have averaged a 2.9, up 32 percent.
