Bt Sport Secures Henley Royal Regatta Rights
Henley Royal Regatta has agreed a rights deal with pay-television broadcaster BT Sport for live race coverage.
As part of the agreement, live coverage of racing will begin on BT Sport at 1pm on 29th June – 1st July, with the full day’s racing shown live on Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd July.
Last year UK sports production and media company, Sunset+Vine, agreed a deal to live stream coverage of the 2015 Regatta that was shown on YouTube, as well as via its official website.
It will be the first time BT Sport has shown the Henley Royal Regatta, which was shortlisted in the Cutting Edge Sport category at this year’s BT Sport Industry Awards, with the coverage complementing its live streaming via YouTube.
Sir Steve Redgrave, chairman of Henley Royal Regatta, said: “It’s a fantastic opportunity for us to continue to widen our reach and improve the coverage of the best-known regatta in the world. Along with Sunset+Vine, our production partner, we are proud of what we achieved in our first year of broadcasting the Regatta on YouTube, using innovations like drone footage.
Simon Green, head of BT Sport said “We’re delighted to welcome the Henley Royal Regatta to BT Sport in its record breaking year and we are looking forward to bringing the excitement of the regatta to our viewers for the first time.”
Andrew Preece, Sunset+Vine’s executive producer, Henley Royal Regatta, commented: “This is the second year of our production partnership with Henley Royal Regatta. To have secured a live broadcaster of BT Sport’s stature, so quickly in our association, is great news. BT Sport’s commitment to broadcast the entire five-day regatta can only help to further the reputation of this prestigious event to a domestic audience known to embrace rowing when it is available to watch.
“Our production teams will further enhance the viewing experience with a number of coverage innovations that will also appear in the World Feed we are producing. In Michael Cole, Jonathan Edwards [World Feed] and James Hopkins and Rob Levi [BT Sport], we have four of the country’s best leading the coverage. We are also pleased that Mark Durden-Smith will anchor the BT Sport coverage. Mark’s personality will bring sporting credibility with a light touch to the programming.”
