Racing braced for huge TV shake-up after new £40MILLION deal is ‘spectacularly’ rejected
RACING is braced for a huge shake-up in its TV coverage after five Irish tracks ‘spectacularly’ rejected a massive new £40million deal.
The breakdown in negotiations means some racing could return to Sky Sports.
As it stands, all Irish racing is aired on Racing TV, which costs a minimum of £24.98 per month.
But five racecourses, all members of United Irish Racecourses, voted against a new deal.
Kilbeggan, Limerick, Roscommon, Sligo and Thurles can begin talks on their own deal, report the Racing Post.
If Arena Racing Company swoop then action from those tracks could return to Sky as early as next year.
Arc and Sky are said to be in a ‘very strong bargaining position’ over any proposed deal.
The five tracks rejected the new offer due to a disagreement over how the current funding model favoured the big tracks in Ireland.
OFFERS OF THE DAY
Bet UK: Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets and Bonuses – CLAIM HERE
William Hill: Bet £10 Get £40 in Free Bets (MOBILE ONLY)* – CLAIM HERE
Betfair: Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets – CLAIM HERE
Paddy Power: Bet £20 and get it back as Cash if it Loses – CLAIM HERE
Sky Bet: Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Horse Racing Bets – CLAIM HERE
Bet UK: New customers only. 7 days to deposit and stake £10 minimum bet at odds of 1.5 or greater to qualify. Max 3x £10 free bets credited on bet settlement. Free bets must be used on 4 or more selections with selection odds of 1.3 or greater. Free bets non-withdrawable and stake not returned with winnings. 7 day expiry. 18+ BeGambleAware.org.
William Hill – 18+. Pla18+. Play Safe. When you sign-up via Mobile using promo code N40 and place a bet of £10/€10 or more we will give you 4x £10/€10 free bets credited after settlement of first qualifying bet, free bets will expire 30 days after the qualifying bet is placed, payment method/player/country restrictions apply. begambleaware.org
Betfair – New Customer offer. Place a min £10 bet on the Sportsbook on odds of min 1/2 (1.5), get £30 in Free Bets. Rewards valid for 30 days. SMS verification required. Only deposits via cards will qualify. T&Cs apply. Please Gamble Responsibly 18+ begambleaware.org
Paddy Power: New customers only. Place your FIRST bet on any sportsbook market and if it loses we will refund your stake in CASH. Max refund for this offer is £20. Only deposits made using Cards or Apple Pay will qualify for this promotion. T&Cs apply. Paddy’s Rewards Club: Get a £10 free bet when you place 5x bets of £10+. T&Cs apply. 18+ Begambleaware.org
Sky Bet: 18+NEW CUSTOMERS ONLY. FIRST SINGLE & E/W BET ONLY ODDS OF 1/1 OR GREATER. 3 X £10 BET TOKENS. FREE BET STAKES NOT INCLUDED IN RETURNS. FREE BETS ONLY REDEEMABLE ON HORSE RACING. FREE BETS ARE NON WITHDRAWABLE. NO FREE BET EXPIRY. ELIGIBILITY RESTRICTIONS AND FURTHER T&CS APPLY. 18+ Begambleaware.org
In total it means 21 of the 26 Irish racecourses will be shown on Racing TV.
Conor O’Neill, chairman of HRI’s media rights committee, told the Racing Post: “It’s a fantastic deal and I’m delighted for the 21 racecourses who have signed up to secure it today.
“I would like to thank the board of AIR and our CEO Paul Hensey for their hard work and support.
“I would also like to especially thank our former CEO Paddy Walsh who has worked tirelessly on achieving the best possible deal for our members and the HRI media rights committee whose commitment has been extraordinary throughout the entire process.
“Although it’s disappointing that it was not approved by all, today is a very positive day for the future of Irish racing, let’s not take away from that.
“I look forward to continuing our partnership with SIS and RMG for the overwhelming majority of Irish racecourses, subject to the approval by the HRI board on Friday.”
It is not believed that ITV’s coverage of Irish racing will be affected by the new deal.
Sky Sports Racing is fronted by top presenters including Sun Racing’s very own Matt Chapman and the popular Leonna Mayor.
Racing TV features the likes of Nick Luck and Lydia Hislop and shows action from Cheltenham and Aintree through the season.