Officials Discuss TVG Purchase of HRTV

The chief executive officer of TVG, on the heels of the announcement that the Betfair subsidiary has purchased rival HRTV from The Stronach Group, said Feb. 18 the company plans to maintain two racing channels and market them accordingly.

Kip Levin, TVG's CEO, and Keith Brackpool, chairman of West Coast operations for The Stronach Group, addressed the California Horse Racing Board on the topic of the sale of HRTV to the Betfair subsidiary. The deal was announced earlier in the day Feb. 18, and there immediately was widespread speculation about Betfair's intentions.

Both networks are based in Southern California, with HRTV headquartered at Santa Anita Park.

"We built (the TVG studio) out with the capacity to host two channels, if the opportunity arose," Levin said. "We will continue to have two TV networks, but they'll work in tandem and unison.

"One of the steps we'll be taking as a follow-up is we'll be promoting both of them across each other. We anticipate subscribers will call (cable and satellite companies) and say, 'Hey, I want to watch this

race.' "

Brackpool, a former chairman of the CHRB, indicated different races will be shown on each network. With the exception of California racing, TVG doesn't currently offer live broadcasts of races from tracks owned by The Stronach Group or Churchill Downs Inc.

"The complaint that I hear from every horse person is, we could be watching an extraordinary race, and as soon as they cross the wire, you will hear from the commenatator, 'And now the third race at Tampa Bay Downs.' The main (high-definition) channel will feature premium racing, and the second channel will feature faster racing (broadcasts)," Brackpool said.

The networks will be "smoothly integrated" in 30-45 days, Brackpool said, with a goal of consolidating the primary satellite and cable carriers. "The biggest issue is carrier distribution. There's a logic now to have (satellite and cable companies) carry them both," he said.