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The Future of FandomAuthor: LiveLike
In todays digital world, engaging fans isnt optionalits everything.Future of Fandom is the podcast for sports leagues, broadcasters, and digital platforms who know that the old playbook for audience engagement no longer works. Hosted by the team at LiveLikethe leading enterprise engagement and loyalty platformthis series explores how the most forward-thinking organisations are using gamification, loyalty programs, and community-driven experiences to deepen fan relationships and drive real business results.Every other week, we speak with senior decision-makers from global sports teams, media companies, and consumer brands about what it takes to turn casual spectators into loyal superfans. We dive into how enterprise organisations are rethinking digital infrastructure, leveraging first-party data, and adopting modular, API-first engagement tools to future-proof their fan strategies.Whether you're a Head of Product, Digital, Revenue or Strategy, Future of Fandom gives you the insight and inspiration you need to move beyond passive content and into interactive, monetisable, and measurable fan experiences.This isnt about chasing trendsits about building the infrastructure of tomorrows fandom, today.Subscribe now and stay ahead of the game. Language: en-us Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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How NASCAR is Winning Over the Next Generation of Fans - Media Rights, Original Content & What's Next
Episode 15
Wednesday, 8 April, 2026
NASCAR is rewriting the playbook on how a legacy sport stays relevant in a fragmented media landscape.Struggling to balance a loyal core fan base with the need to attract younger, digitally native audiences? Wondering how to future-proof your media strategy when consumption habits shift faster than your rights cycle?Brian Herbst is EVP and Chief Media & Revenue Officer at NASCAR, where he oversees the sport's billion-dollar-plus media rights business, a $60 million in-house production facility, and distribution across 185 countries. He's been with the organisation for 21 years, rising from intern to architect of one of the most ambitious broadcast operations in American sport.In this episode, Brian breaks down exactly how NASCAR structured its multi-platform media rights deal, why they invested in building production capabilities before going to market, and how a driver incentive programme is turning athletes into brand ambassadors. You'll walk away with a concrete framework for thinking about content, distribution, and fan development at scale.This one is for media executives, sports business leaders, and anyone responsible for growing audiences across linear, streaming, and social platforms. Brian covers media rights strategy, in-house content production, fan acquisition, sponsorship packaging, and international expansion.What you'll learn in this episode>> NASCAR allocated $15–20M from its media rights deal to pay drivers for growing their personal brands and the top earner took home $1M, creating real incentive for athletes to drive sport-wide relevance.What You'll Learn In This Episode>> Building a $60M production facility before entering media rights negotiations gave NASCAR the leverage to say yes to new partners like the CW who lacked live event production experience.>> Amazon's younger-skewing audience didn't just spike during streaming windows. The 16% growth in 18–34 viewers carried across the entire season on all platforms.>> NASCAR's vertical structure (owning tracks, media rights, archives, and production) allows them to sell unified sponsorship packages with must-spend buckets across teams, networks, and venues.Timestamps00:00 Introduction and welcomeTimestamp01:36 Brian's 21-year journey from intern to EVP at NASCAR03:59 Catering to different fan bases in a fragmented media landscape06:03 Why sports rights are fragmenting and how NASCAR navigates it08:55 Educating fans on where to watch each weekend10:23 The content machine driving fan acquisition and relevance11:47 How a social video became NASCAR's hottest selling ticket13:51 Original content and the shift toward driver-led storytelling15:04 The fan journey from casual viewer to loyal follower17:49 Loyalty, community building, and fan engagement strategy20:45 The Driver Ambassador Programme and paying athletes to grow the sport23:40 Inside NASCAR's $60M in-house production facility26:05 Why leagues should control their own content production27:31 Archive footage strategy and the Dale Earnhardt Sr. documentary30:49 Digital's role in keeping fans grounded to the NASCAR brand32:41 Independent voices vs. owned and operated content33:48 International distribution and the logistical challenge of expansion36:24 Vertical sponsorship strategy and the next phase of growth38:04 What NASCAR looks like in 5–10 years40:50 The biggest misconception about NASCAR's technologyUseful resourcesUseful ResourcesConnect with Miheer Walavalkar and Brian Herbst on LinkedIn. Visit LiveLike’s website and NASCAR here.Connect with the showFollow
