NBC may not only have to hold off consistent challenger FOX, but also the two biggest streamers, in order to retain its rights to the second leg of the Triple Crown.
NBC is “highly interested” in continuing to carry horse racing’s Preakness Stakes past the expiration of its contract this year, but Belmont Stakes broadcaster FOX and streamers Amazon and Netflix are also said to be interested in the rights, Austin Karp of Sports Business Journal reported Monday. A new deal could coincide with the Preakness moving back a week to the fourth Saturday in May, three weeks after the Derby, per Karp.
The Preakness has aired on NBC dating back to 2001, moving over from ABC along with the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes. NBC has aired the Derby and Preakness continuously ever since, but twice lost rights to the Belmont — first to ABC from 2006-10 and then again to FOX from 2023 onward, though its decade-long stint in between included the only two successful Triple Crown bids in the past 48 years.
FOX, which has long challenged NBC for rights to Triple Crown races, is said to have “strong interest” in pairing the Preakness with the Belmont, and per Karp would “endorse” pushing the Belmont back a week in order to accommodate a later Preakness if it held rights to both.
As for the streamers, it is unclear whether they are merely kicking the tires or seriously interested. A one-off like the Preakness would fit the broader Netflix “event” strategy. Amazon Prime Video has been pursuing full-season packages rather than standalone events, but it is not averse to the latter — having carried golf’s Skins game last year.
The Preakness takes place during the NBA Playoffs and currently coincides with either the end of the second round or start of the conference finals. (If pushed back a week, it would coincide with the middle of the conference finals.) For both incumbent broadcaster NBC and prospective bidder Prime Video, both of which carry NBA games, it would make sense to pair the two events as NBC did during its prior run with the NBA.
