BBC Wins Grand National Rights Race
The BBC has beaten stiff competition from ITV to secure the rights to the Grand National and two other high profile horse races until 2010 following the collapse of Attheraces last month.
The rights to the prestigious event were left up for grabs following the demise of the racing channel run by a consortium of Channel 4, BSkyB and Arena Racing. In addition to the rights to the Grand National, the new deal sees the BBC retaining control of the Derby and Royal Ascot, both seen as high-value race-day events.
Commenting on the win, the BBC’s director of sport rights and finance, Dominic Coles, said: “We’re delighted to have re-signed our three pillars of racing – the Grand National, Royal Ascot and The Derby – until the end of the decade, in the face of keen competition for the rights. This completes the last piece of a jigsaw puzzle of major domestic events for the BBC. We’re pleased that most of Britain’s premier sporting events are now live on terrestrial television.”
The acquisition comes after Channel 4 made a scramble for numerous horseracing rights, securing an 18-month contract with the Racehourse Holdings Trust earlier this month. Channel 4’s deal will enable it to broadcast races from Cheltenham, Newmarket, Kempton Park, Sandown Park, Haydock Park and six smaller courses. The broadcaster is understood to be in negotiations with Aintree, Epsom and Haydock Park to continue its coverage and has suggested that a deal is close to completion (see Channel 4 Planning Raft Of Digital Channels).
The BBC had faced stiff competition for the rights, with ITV stating an interest in broadcasting the Grand National, and, it is understood, equalling the Corporation’s bid for the rights. The BBC is said to have won purely on its ability to guarantee coverage of other races.
Chief executive of Ascot Racecourse, Douglas Erskine-Crum, said: “We are very pleased to be continuing our long-standing and strong association with the BBC. We are delighted that the BBC will continue to broadcast racing from Ascot and look forward to working with their team over the next five years, and especially after our redevelopment in 2006.”
The BBC has embarked on a raft of sporting acquisitions lately and now owns rights to The Olympic Games, The FA Cup Final, The Wimbledon Tennis Finals and The European Football Championship Finals Tournament to name a few. The only event defined by the Government as an “A List event” now outside the Corporation’s control is the The Rugby World Cup Final, the rights to which are held by ITV.
In February ITV snatched the exclusive rights to the Oxford and Cambridge boat race from the BBC when the Corporation claimed the event had become too commercial. The last BBC broadcast of the event drew audiences of nearly nine million last month (see BBC Sinks Competition With Boat Race Coverage).
BBC: 020 8743 8000 www.bbc.co.uk
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