IMSA Moves to NBC Sports in New Six-Year TV Deal

NBC Sports will be the new home of IMSA beginning in 2019, as part of a six-year exclusive deal that will see coverage of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Michelin Tire SportsCar Challenge and Prototype Challenge presented by Mazda across its family of networks.

The new agreement, announced Monday, sees the network take over from FOX Sports, which had broadcast the WeatherTech Championship since its inception, and prior to that, both Grand-Am and American Le Mans Series via SPEED Channel.

NBC Sports’ enhanced media rights partnership with IMSA includes close to a 50 percent increase in network coverage of the WeatherTech Championship.

Three races will be broadcast on NBC and there will be more than 45 hours of WeatherTech Championship action televised on the NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) during the season, as well as additional coverage across broader NBC distribution platforms.

The NBC Sports App and NBCSports.com will offer flag-to-flag live streaming of every WeatherTech Championship race to authenticated subscribers.

“The resonance and gravity of this new partnership with the NBC Sports Group for IMSA fans and our stakeholders cannot be overstated,” said IMSA CEO Ed Bennett.

“This agreement is the culmination of a comprehensive process to align ourselves with a media rights partner that will capitalize on the tremendous momentum IMSA and the WeatherTech Championship are enjoying and will help our sport reach new heights.

“Without question, NBC Sports Group ‘gets’ motorsports and our unique product. We could not be prouder to call NBC Sports our partner.”

NBC Sports Group is the home of motorsports in the U.S., with this agreement adding to its extensive portfolio of auto racing that includes NASCAR and IndyCar, which most recently announced a new exclusive expanded deal.

“As the U.S. home of motorsports, we are excited to present IMSA’s high-quality and diverse racing circuit to our abundance of racing fans,” said Jon Miller, President, Programming, NBC Sports and NBCSN.

“By utilizing our wide-array of broadcast, cable, and digital platforms, we can service IMSA and motorsports fans with more coverage and in more ways than ever before.”

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John