Roger Penske Addresses FCC Commissioner About Sports Moving Behind Paywalls

There's no question that it is much harder — and much more expensive — to watch sports, and that's a problem that NTT IndyCar Series owner Roger Penske is addressing with FCC Chairman Brendan Carr.

More and more sports, leagues, and series are cutting deals that don't just take them off of broadcast networks, it takes them off of linear TV completely.

While it's often argued that this is the way of the future, it's also, in most cases, not in fans' best interest.

Chairman Carr opened a formal comment period earlier this year about what impact sports broadcasts leaving over-the-air networks is having on consumers and local broadcasters.

One of the commenters was none other than the Captain himself, Roger Penske.

"I have watched and listened closely to several of your recent interviews and public speeches, in which you wisely connect the availability of professional sports on broadcast television to the societal benefits," the businessman and motorsports legend wrote. "These benefits are derived from local TV stations' ability to serve viewers with increased local news, public service information, and charitable endeavors - enriching local communities across America. I could not agree more."

He went on to talk about how IndyCar's latest with Fox — which began last year — sees every race appearing on Fox for free and available over-the-air, and they've seen some solid returns from it.

"The result was undisputed. Ratings were up double digits with the Indianapolis 500 drawing more than 7 million viewers — a 41% jump and the most-watched Indy 500 since 2008," he said. "Through the first three races of the 2026 series, viewership has climbed an additional 48%. There is no question that the reach of broadcast TV remains unparalleled for sports viewers."

Penske also discussed how the reach of broadcast TV has a societal impact as well, citing the charitable endeavors of Penske Corporation, IndyCar, and Fox.

Roger Penske pushes FCC to protect broadcast sports access, citing IndyCar’s surge in ratings as proof free over-the-air TV still delivers unmatched reach and growth. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

IndyCar is an incredibly rare case these days. No other racing series offers every race on broadcast TV for free. 

Formula 1 moved behind the Apple TV paywall this season.

NASCAR has some races on broadcast TV, some on cable, and then buries others on streamers.

IMSA is similarly spread across NBC-Universal's cable and streaming portfolio, with occasional races — or just parts of races — on NBC Proper.

However, as Penske pointed out, the broadcast model not only works but has far-reaching benefits.

"The IndyCar series is a definitive case study in the power of broadcasting," Penske said. "Recent viewership data from the 2025 and 2026 seasons provides undisputed evidence that moving sports from fragmented cable and streaming models to a broadcast-first approach creates unparalleled audience growth and unparalleled access much to the delight of viewers."