ITV Wins Rights to Broadcast British Racing
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ITV network has won exclusive rights to broadcast British horse racing in the United Kingdom over the next four years, beginning Jan. 1, 2017, ending Channel 4's more than three decades of coverage.
The deal is reportedly worth £30 million, BBC Sport reports.
ITV will show nearly 100 days of racing each year, including marquee events such as the Cheltenham Festival, the Crabbie's Grand National meet from Aintree, Royal Ascot, and the Qatar Goodwood Festival.
The contract runs through to Dec. 31, 2020, and consists of a minimum of 34 fixtures on the ITV main channel and 60 on ITV4, in addition to a magazine preview program broadcast every Saturday morning on ITV4.
"The unprecedented level of interest in the tender shows what an attractive proposition the sport is," said Richard FitzGerald, chief executive of Racecourse Media Group who led racing's negotiations. "This is reflected in the new deal, which will generate increased revenues for racing."