NBC and TNT balking at NASCAR renewal

NBC Universal Sports and Turner Broadcasting have told NASCAR they won't pay the kind of double-digit television rights fee increases the sanctioning body wants, Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Journal reports. In a story attributed to multiple industry sources, the publication also says the two have also rebuffed NASCAR's request to move up the negotiating timetable. The story says the sides held only sporadic meetings this summer that made little progress in lining up a new contract to replace the one that expires after the 2006 season. NBC and Turner currently share NASCAR rights for the second half of each season, and the story says Turner will likely try to strike its own deal if NBC decides not to renew. Writer Andy Bernstein reports that NASCAR officials believe they can get the sort of 27% fee increases that the NFL got for its broadcast packages with Fox and CBS, noting that ABC and ESPN have expressed interest in carrying NASCAR races. NASCAR Scene Daily Newsletter

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