The NTT IndyCar Series’ upcoming move from NBC to FOX will feature a significant change in streaming platforms.
For those with cable subscriptions that include FOX, using the FOX Sports app will provide streaming access to next year’s IndyCar content at your convenience. But for those who’ve cut the cord, using the FOX Sports app independently isn’t an option; the app’s live sports offerings require authentication through a cable provider.
Unlike NBC’s Peacock streamer, which is available through an independent monthly subscription fee, the FOX Sports app does not come with a for-pay solution to circumvent a cable plan.
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To view IndyCar and the wide array of sports presented by FOX among those who’ve left cable behind, the answer could be found in signing up for some of the streaming services that include live TV packages like Fubo, Hulu, or YouTube which offer FOX, FOX Sports 1, and FOX Sports 2, at $70 or more per month.
Another path to access could be achieved by subscribing to the new Venu Sports streaming bundle that was recently priced at $42.99 per month. Venu is meant to launch soon, provided an ongoing lawsuit and injunction sought by Fubo does not interrupt its timeline.
“We think the product is going to be more available to fans next year with the FOX Sports partnership, if you just look at the broad strokes of where the races and also practice and qualifications are going to be,” Penske Entertainment communications VP Alex Damron told RACER.
“And most especially, we’re excited about the network exposure, and Venu is likely to be the most comprehensive streaming home for the NTT IndyCar Series. It’s part of the partnership that FOX Sports has rolled into to get that platform up and running. For us, we’re certainly excited to learn more about it, and think it has the potential to be an industry-leading hub for sports content.”
Venu Sports’ package includes FOX Sports, Warner Bros. Discovery, and a long list of Disney-owned channels headlined by ESPN. Most of the major forms of sport will be aired on Venu, which Damron likes.
“There’s a lot of cross pollination opportunities with the different sporting leagues and series that are going to be there with the multiple partnerships involved,” he added. “So hopefully there’s an opportunity for IndyCar to be exposed to some additional fan bases as well. There’s also the FOX Sports app, which will have some of FOX’s live sporting events, and certainly IndyCar will be available there that, as I understand. It obviously still needs authentication, but it is a route available to IndyCar fans as well.”
For fans who aren’t interested in streaming, all IndyCar races will be aired on FOX’s main network and could be received for free through the use of an antenna in areas where free transmissions remain, but cable could be the most common access point. IndyCar practice and qualifying sessions will be delivered through FOX cable channels FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2.