Good news for race fans! The upcoming superspeedway races in the NASCAR Cup Series this season will have as little interruption as possible. NBC will be experimenting with a system for the races at Daytona, Atlanta, and Talladega this year in which they will not cut away from green flag racing at all.
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Usually, these broadcasters have gone to commercials if nothing of note happens under green. The screen is sometimes split and the racing gets only a small window with its audio muted as the ad takes the spotlight.
That’s not going to be the case anymore. Yes, there will be advertisements but only on a split screen. No full-screen ads will air during these races, making the viewing experience as smooth as possible for race fans.
This could be a method by which NBC competes with streaming services as NASCAR might gradually move further away from normal television. NBC calls it the NASCAR Non-Stop format and it seems to be a good initiative to improve the viewership experience.
.@NBCSports is experimenting with how it displays ads during NASCAR races, with a plan to show no full-screen commercials during green-flag action at the upcoming races at Daytona, Atlanta and Talladega. https://t.co/DF8jG3ALTT
— Adam Stern (@A_S12) August 21, 2024
Advertisements in the middle of sporting events are a menace and with NASCAR races being so long, broadcasters are hardly left with any choice but to air ads while the race is going on. A split screen is still manageable but a full-screen ad is just plain annoying. Viewers at home have often missed important moments on the track due to these ads and there has been some dissatisfaction with the format.
But all that will go away if the Daytona, Atlanta, and Talladega races garner a positive response from the television audience. These three races get a lot of attention due to the speed and the kind of racing that happens at these tracks. They are the perfect events to test the NASCAR Non-Stop format.
Fans hail NBC’s latest broadcasting format
Fans on social media have welcomed NBC’s latest idea and are looking forward to the three massive superspeedway races this season. “Dreams do come true,” one user commented. “Welcome back TNT wide open coverage,” quipped another. There were comparisons to FOX, the other major NASCAR broadcaster as well as with broadcasts of other motorsports.
“FOX could never,” one user wrote. “F1 has the best sports broadcast of anybody hands down. Save commercials for stage breaks and caution laps after pit stops. Every green flag lap should be on TV,” commented another. Formula One, however, has often been criticized for not showing important on-track moments despite there not being any advertisements during the race.
In an ever-changing world, TV broadcasters have to adapt to keep up with the streaming platforms. NBC has taken its first step towards that goal and it will be intriguing to see how fans react for Sunday’s race at Daytona.
