SUPERCARS’ next television deal is already a key consideration for category powerbrokers.
Broadcast rights are a major driver of revenue in any sport and Supercars is no different, its last two deals having been valued at $241 million over six years (2015-2020, Fox Sports/Network 10) and “more than $200 million in cash and advertising” over five years (2021-2025, Fox Sports/Network Seven).
Nathan Prendergast’s return as head of broadcast in January came as Supercars entered the penultimate year of its existing arrangement, and the TV guru yesterday outlined his broader vision to V8 Sleuth.
He’s making no secret of the fact the next round of broadcast negotiations are front of mind.
“Absolutely it is front of mind for me now as it is for many in the business,” Prendergast told V8 Sleuth.
“We are looking to make the product as strong as it possibly can be.
“We have got huge interest from lots of parties.
“And it’s also part of the digital strategy because as we well know, the landscape is changing so fast.
“So to ensure that not just our traditional, linear broadcast is strong, but our entire content and digital offering is extremely powerful so that when we roll into our next round of rights deals, we’ve got a full awareness of where we sit in the broadcast landscape.”
Elaborating on that evolving nature of the broadcast space, Prendergast continued: “There are so many different channels available to rightsholders at the moment.
“We need to have the strongest understanding of where we’re at, at a consumer level and have the strongest possible product for those that want to come in and look at us as a viable option. And I can tell you there is huge interest.
“My job is to make the product as strong as it possibly can be and arm the business with the right information and have the best possible product for when we come up for negotiations in not too long.”
Supercars’ current TV deal sees every session broadcast live on Fox Sports/Kayo and six annual rounds on free-to-air – not dissimilar to the exclusive versus non-exclusive split used in other Australian sporting codes.
