How to determine if the Indianapolis 500 will be blacked out for you on television
Editor's note: If the race is blacked out for you, be sure to follow along with our live coverage of the race here.
The longstanding blackout for local race fans is back for the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500.
According to an NBC Sports spokesperson, anyone located in the territory of the Indianapolis and Lafayette affiliates will be unable to watch the race on TV. But that doesn't mean you can't watch the race in other Indiana cities.
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How to watch the Indy 500 in Indiana
You're in luck if you're in Evansville, Fort Wayne, South Bend or Terre Haute. Here are the channels in which you can watch the race if you are in those four locations.
Evansville - WFIE 14
Fort Wayne - WPTA-DT2 21.2
South Bend - WNDU-TV 16
Terre Haute - WTWO 2
Why the Indianapolis 500 is blacked out in Central Indiana
The ban on the traditional broadcast of the race via local NBC affiliate WTHR has been in place for decades. This is due to the fact that IMS wants local fans to attend the race in person.
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Has the Indy 500 blackout ever been lifted?
Yes. In fact, it was lifted the last three years to at least some degree. Last year, those not among the 325,000 that packed IMS’ 300 acres could watch live via a premium subscription to NBC’s Peacock streaming service. With that loophole available, NBC saw a 534% increase in its digital audience for the 500, with an average of 218,800 fans watching the race live via Peacock, NBCsports.com or the NBC Sports app across the entire broadcast (up from 34,500 in 2021).
In 2016, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway lifted the blackout when it reached a rare, true sellout of 350,000 fans on race day. In 2020 and 2021, the ban was lifted due to the COVID-19 pandemic since attendance was impacted both years.
What radio station is the Indy 500 on?
The IndyCar Radio Network carries race and related coverage on its affiliates and SiriusXM Channel 160.