​Prime Video and TNT Sports each carried five NASCAR Cup Series races during the opening season of the sport’s new television deal, a schedule that left both broadcasters wishing for more exposure. NASCAR President Steve O’Donnell disclosed this week that Amazon’s Prime Video and TNT Sports would have preferred a larger share of the Cup Series slate prior to the sanctioning body finalizing its current media rights arrangement. While NASCAR remains bound to the existing deal through the 2031 season, O’Donnell’s remarks shed light on just how valuable the Cup Series has become to its newest broadcast partners.
The disclosure comes on the heels of Prime Video completing its inaugural five-race run earlier this summer, followed by TNT Sports wrapping up its own five-race slate at Chicagoland Speedway. In an interview with Sports Business Journal, O’Donnell was asked whether the television landscape for NASCAR could evolve before the 2031 expiration of the current rights package. He was clear that NASCAR is committed to its present contracts, yet he acknowledged that there was no shortage of interest when the rights package was originally negotiated.
“We’ve got contractual obligations obviously, but what I can say, and I don’t think I’m giving away any trade secrets, is if you talk to Prime, they wish they would have bought more. If you talk to Turner, they wish they would have bought more. That’s a good thing. That’s great for us,” O’Donnell said.
The current media rights agreement splits Cup Series broadcasts among FOX Sports, Prime Video, TNT Sports, and NBC Sports. Prime Video aired a run of five consecutive races starting with the Coca-Cola 600, while TNT Sports followed with its own five-race stretch that concluded at Chicagoland Speedway.
O’Donnell also noted that NASCAR has received positive feedback from all its broadcast partners during the first season of the new deal, which began in 2026. He cited conversations with Fox’s Eric Shanks, as well as leaders at Amazon and Turner, and said that all parties are very happy with the current arrangement and sense momentum building in the sport. The organization’s objective now, he added, is to demonstrate that growth to fans and sponsors alike.
The remarks align with what NASCAR has observed over the first year of the new television package. Prime Video has earned praise from many fans for its production quality and coverage, while TNT Sports introduced fresh studio programming and new on-air personalities during its portion of the schedule. Although fans should not expect immediate changes before the current contract concludes after the 2031 season, O’Donnell’s comments highlight the behind-the-scenes demand that existed. Rather than a struggle to attract broadcast interest, NASCAR secured multiple partners eager to air more Cup Series races than the schedule permitted, underscoring the sport’s rising value and appeal to streaming and traditional broadcast platforms alike.