# XM may lose NASCAR channel



## flmilkfarmer (Nov 14, 2004)

Sirius Satellite Radio takes over NASCAR Broadcasts in 2007: Sirius Satellite Radio on Tuesday announced a five-year agreement to give Sirius North American satellite radio rights to broadcast NASCAR racing and events that will bring unprecedented programming and marketing opportunities to NASCAR fans. Beginning in 2007, Sirius will broadcast all Nextel Cup Series, Busch Series and Craftsman Truck Series races live on a specially created, 24/7 NASCAR channel, and Sirius will be the only place on satellite radio to listen to NASCAR. As part of the agreement, Sirius will become the Official Satellite Radio Partner of NASCAR, with exclusive trademark and marketing rights, and the right to sell all advertising time on its NASCAR channel and during the race broadcasts. Sirius will pay NASCAR rights fees totaling $107.5 million over the term of the agreement, with the highest payments in the final years of the term. Sirius and NASCAR will work together to develop an extensive consumer marketing and outreach campaign for NASCAR fans. This effort could include advertising, cross-channel promotion throughout Sirius programming, officially licensed products, extensive at-track activation and ways for current NASCAR fans to switch to Sirius.(NASCAR PR), would assume XM Satellite Radio is out after the 2006 season as NASCAR Radio.(2-22-2005)


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## TRSmudge (May 29, 2004)

You meant to say.....

XM lost NASCAR today

I know alot of people who had XM just for NASCAR


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## mwgiii (Jul 19, 2002)

XM management has really dropped the ball on this one.

Of course, lately, all they do is drop the ball.


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## djlong (Jul 8, 2002)

Far from it. XM apparently refused to pay the OUTRAGEOUS fees that Sirius was willing to pay.

I blame NASCAR here - they're pulling an "NHL", IMO. Remember when the NHL took bigger money from Sportschannel and left ESPN even though Sportschannel has FAR fewer households? That's what NASCAR is doing here - only looking at the dollar signs - some $20M/yr for 5 years. This is for something less than 100 "events" on one (perhaps two, if they do the in-car stuff again) channel - Cup, Busch and Truck.

XM, OTOH, is paying MLB $60M/yr or so for THOUSANDS of events per year on up to 16 channels.

NASCAR decided to take more money to go with a smaller service that requires their fiercely loyal listeners to pay more per month AND spend more in buying new radios.

NASCAR fans have long been grumbling about feeling like they are taken advantage of - this is only going to accelerate that.


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## kwajr (Apr 7, 2004)

but nascar is the fastest growing sport in the world,and the largest spectator sport for instance the daytona 500 this sunday had over 200,000 in attendance thats a hell of a markingtin pool,also the annual income of a nascar familly avg at 50,000,45% of its fans are woman by the way woman spend money i think its a very smart move and nascar can almost demand whatever they want


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## SamC (Jan 20, 2003)

Number of NASCAR events not on nationwide TV:

(end of list) 

Combine this with the fact that NASCAR races and talk show are also carried on an extensive AM-FM network, and will continue to be, and you see that Baseball on XM continues to trump this deal. SSR is buying content after content that it simply cannot afford.


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## Lee L (Aug 15, 2002)

It is true that NASCAR is nationally broadcast on TV and just about every country terrestrial radio station in the US seems to carry them as well (or at least one per market  ). The one thing that Sat Rad has over terrestrial as far as just race coverage goes is the fact that you do not have to change stations when travelling. Not a huge deal, but an advantage nonetheless.

The main thing I like about NASCAR on XM is that right now, I can listen to Dialed In on my PCR at work. Also, there are plenty of other news-type shows that are covered outside of races. Siruis has no alternative to eeh PCR (though neither does XM anymore directly).

I do agree that Sirus is tossing out too much money on all the rights to various entities right now, I can't see how it makes sense or that they can make the money back on subs. I guess we will have to wait and see. 

I know that XM has built a large NASCAR fan base and they very well may lose a bunch of fans in 2007 when NASCAR moves. That is a long time from now and they may merge or one or both of them could be out of business by then.


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## ibglowin (Sep 10, 2002)

Sirius is throwing huge wads o cash at anything that moves these days it seems trying to lock up every sport it can. They have literally almost bet the farm on Howard Stern. Now with NASCAR I don't see how they can break even for yearsand years to come.

How many people do they think are going to listen to a car race on the radio! :nono2:


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## MarkA (Mar 23, 2002)

"The one thing that Sat Rad has over terrestrial as far as just race coverage goes is the fact that you do not have to change stations when travelling."

What about coverage? The reason I have satellite is that I'm outside of terrestrial radio range for 3-4 hours each week.


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## flmilkfarmer (Nov 14, 2004)

What about the XM and Sirius merge? maybe the people who have XM will not lose their NASCAR. Having NASCAR is the number 1 reason I chose XM over the other.


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## kwajr (Apr 7, 2004)

maybe it will pay off with the new subs they will get by being the sports choice in radio


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## djlong (Jul 8, 2002)

#1 XM and Sirius won't merge. Barring a total collapse of Sirius (since XM's financials are in FAR better shape) the FCC won't allow it.

#2 There's a growing discontent among NASCAR fans that they are being taken for granted. Even some of the drivers are starting to voice the "how much longer will the fans put up with this" line. It's quite possible that this may be the first time the NASCAR fans *don't* march in lockstep.

Sure, NEW subscribers in 2007 might be swayed by Sirius having NASCAR - it was a factor in my decision to go to XM. But a lot of fans, myself included, simply are not going to go out and buy all new setups for ONE CHANNEL. Not when we've seen the rest of what XM has to offer. In other words, it's enough to make a decision but perhaps not enough to *move*.

Now, if I bought XM before the sports deals and I *really* want the NFL (and if I'm on the road on Sundays) and I don't like baseball but am a die-hard for the NBA, NHL (if they ever play again) and Stern - *that* might get me to switch.


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## BobMurdoch (Apr 24, 2002)

This doesn't phase me as I could care less about NASCAR but this will severely hit their trucker base which helped establish them in the first place.

The vast amount of subscribers though won't figure it out until February 2007 so by then they will have 6 million subscribers and won't care if churn kicks up a bit.

The good news is that XM will not have to write that check to NASCAR anymore. Do they chase some other big content prize or do they just keep it in the kitty and start turning a profit that much sooner.


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## juan ellitinez (Jan 31, 2003)

djlong said:


> #1 XM and Sirius won't merge. Barring a total collapse of Sirius (since XM's financials are in FAR better shape) the FCC won't allow it.


 but their sateilittes arent!!


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## flmilkfarmer (Nov 14, 2004)

A local dealer told me that sells both that he sells more XM and that many of those buyers go with the XM because of the NASCAR channel since we do not have any AM/FM channels that carry the NASCAR races. I have heard in the past that NASCAR on XM is one of the most listened to channels on XM.


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## DaveTinNY (Nov 8, 2004)

No great loss to me. I got XM for the music... and now they've added MLB? 
Not bad. 
Dave


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## SamC (Jan 20, 2003)

IMHO,

I think I am as big a NASCAR fan as anybody, an I might listen to XM 144 maybe a few hours per week. In my area all of the races and MRN/PRN material is on FM. So that leaves the original to XM stuff to worry about. That consists of:

- Classic races. OK, and obviously aimed at the trucker market, filling lonely hours with whatever, but I really don't care what happened in the 1991 Bristol night race.

- Dialed In. News, which I already knew, and call in talk shows. By definition, the only people calling in are the NASCAR fans among XM's subscriber base. Quite frankly, a good talk show is dependent on good callers, and the callers just are not any good. 

- Race reruns. OK, if you saw or listened live, what is going to change on Tuesday afternoon? If you really are a fan, its not like you don't know what is going to happen.

NASCAR on XM remains something for the trucker market and people outside the South or Midwest, where MRN/PRN are on a major FM in every town. Its a niche.

Contrast to baseball. A radio sport bringing games not available, and info not available, since ESPN only covers the Red Sox and Yankees.


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