Channel 4 Keeps Hold Of Reigns In Racing Deal
Channel 4 has salvaged the exclusive rights to broadcast British horseracing events on terrestrial television following the collapse of the Attheraces consortium last month.
The broadcaster has secured an 18-month contract with the Racehourse Holdings Trust to broadcast races from Cheltenham, Newmarket, Kempton Park, Sandown Park, Haydock Park and six smaller courses. It is currently in the process of negotiating coverage with Aintree, Epsom and Haydock Park.
The move follows the collapse of Attheraces, a racing channel run by a consortium of Channel 4, BSkyB and Arena Racing. The channel ceased broadcasting last month following a failure to renegotiate its broadcasting rights due to lower than predicted gambling revenues (see BSkyB Could Move To Secure British Horse Racing Rights).
At the time of the collapse, a spokesman for Channel 4 said: “Channel 4 has broadcast live UK horseracing for 20 years and we are working hard to reach an agreement which ensures the UK horseracing industry continues to benefit from the exposure terrestrial broadcasts provide, but which also makes commercial sense to Channel 4.”
The announcement that the broadcaster had succeeded in retaining a number of broadcast rights was made late last night. Commenting on the move, Richard Johnston, managing director of RHT, said: “Channel 4’s commitment to racing and the breadth of their coverage has enabled us to make this decision. Channel 4 has played a key role in championing horse racing and in raising the profile of a sport with an expanding audience and we are delighted to continue our 20 year relationship with them”.
Speculation is continuing over the satellite rights to broadcast race-day events, as rumours that Sky were in negotiations to secure coverage have been circulating since the demise of Attheraces. The satellite giant has remained tight-lipped about the situation, but insists it is “reviewing the situation” (see BSkyB Could Move To Secure British Horse Racing Rights).
The acquisition would be lucrative for Sky as Attheraces claimed to have “broadened the appeal of horseracing from less than 30,000 subscribers under the old racing channel to a record weekly audience of 850,000 people”. It is believed that Sky plans to seize control of the rights and broadcast races via its Satellite Information Services system, currently used to provide low cost video feeds to betting shops.
Channel Four: 020 7396 4444 www.channel4.com
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