itv Retains Horse Racing Coverage
ITV has agreed a new three-year deal to show exclusive, free-to-air coverage of UK horse racing until the end of 2026.
The new deal, which was announced at the start of the Cheltenham Festival 2023, will see the UK broadcaster provide over 100 days of live coverage across ITV1 and ITV4 each year, along with morning racing programme, The Opening Show.
The broadcasts will also be available on ITV’s recently rebranded streaming platform, ITVX.
ITV took over horse racing coverage from Channel 4 in 2017 and will now continuing covering races that include UK racing’s Crown Jewel events; the Grand National, the Cheltenham Festival, Royal Ascot and the Derby.
Niall Sloane, ITV Director of Sport, said, “This deal will take us to a decade of racing on ITV and we’re delighted to be able to continue to bring to viewers well over 100 days of live coverage of this wonderful sport, including some of the most enjoyable, storied and thrilling events of each year.
“We look forward to continuing to work with Racecourse Media Group and our other partners within racing to bring audiences the very best racing has to offer in the coming years.”
Martin Stevenson, CEO of Racecourse Media Group, added, “On behalf of our racecourses, we are delighted to have cemented our relationship with ITV for a further three years. ITV have been an excellent partner for the sport, providing more terrestrial coverage here in the UK than in any other racing jurisdiction in the world, illustrating both the commitment of the broadcaster and the enduring popularity of the sport.”
Nevin Truesdale, The Jockey Club’s Chief Executive, said, “We at The Jockey Club love working with the ITV Racing team to showcase the sport, our racecourses, the horses and the people who work tirelessly behind the scenes to tell their stories in an entertaining, fun and engaging way. We’re really looking forward to continuing to do that and finding new ways to collaborate in the future.”
ITV Sport’s portfolio also includes Six Nations rugby, the Rugby World Cup, England Women football team matches, the FA Cup, EFL highlights including the Sky Bet Championship, Sky Bet League One, Sky Bet League Two, Carabao Cup and the Papa John’s Trophy, the Tour de France, the NFL, Heineken Champions Cup, Aviva Premiership Rugby, in motorsport, Extreme E, plus British Touring Car Championships and MotoGP and major competitions in snooker and darts.
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