2012 IndyCar Television Contract
The IZOD IndyCar Series signed a 10-year deal with Comcast's Versus network to broadcast at least 13 IndyCar events a year, from 2009 to 2018. But with Comcast's acquisition of NBC Universal, the company can shift IndyCar's biggest races, including the Indianapolis 500, to flagship channel NBC. NBC, which used to broadcast select Champ Car events and was part of a landmark deal for NASCAR television in 2001, will help draw larger ratings for the sport's most important races.
NBC will take over eight of the key races on the schedule, leaving Versus with ten events. Versus will cover, among other events, the season opener at Sao Paulo, the first of the 500-mile "Triple Crown" races at Auto Club Speedway, and the series' return to Laguna Seca. NBC's major events, other than the Indianapolis 500, include the North American opener at Las Vegas, the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, and the series' debut at the Daytona International Speedway.