Sky Sports Racing and The Racing Partnership (TRP) have secured a ‘significant’ agreement with Newbury Racecourse.
Under the terms of the five-year partnership , all of Newbury’s 29 annual race meetings will be broadcast on Sky Sports Racing, adding a portfolio of prominent fixtures across both Flat and Jump to the broadcaster’s schedule from January 2024.
Among those are the Dubai Duty Free Spring Trials, the Group 1 Al Shaqab Lockinge, Ladbrokes Winter Carnival and Grade 1 Challow Hurdle.
“We are delighted to announce this strategic partnership with TRP and Sky Sports Racing,” said Julian Thick, Chief Executive of Newbury Racecourse. “We believe the new agreement secures a positive and exciting future for Newbury Racecourse and its shareholders and fits with our long-term values and aspirations for the business.
“Sky Sports Racing offers a very attractive platform for us with its extensive reach to 14 million homes, a particularly strong supporting digital footprint with both Attheraces.com and associated channels as well as the brand alignment and cross promotional opportunities that come with being part of the larger Sky family.”
In addition, from April 2023, all fixtures operated by Newbury Racecourse will be distributed to the retail betting sector via TRP.
The channel currently represents the retail betting rights for horse racing fixtures at all 16 Arena Racing Company (ARC) racecourses, as well as Fakenham, Hexham, Newton Abbot, Plumpton and Ripon.
Furthermore, Newbury Racecourse’s online media and data rights will be represented and distributed by TRP from January 2024.
Matthew Imi, Chief Executive, Sky Sports Racing, explained: “Everyone at Sky Sports Racing is delighted at the prospect of a partnership with Newbury Racecourse.
“We regard it as a great privilege to be working with one of our sport’s most important and progressive participants and look forward to being able to attract significant audiences to their content through our domestic and international broadcast and digital platforms. Since the inception of Sky Sports Racing, we have added Ascot, Chester and Bangor-on-Dee to our portfolio of racecourse partners, and we very much look forward to Newbury joining in 2024.
“Working closely with our wagering partners and maximising the exposure Sky Sports can bring to Newbury’s fixtures, events and high-quality brand we believe this will translate into significant long-term opportunities for them on many different levels.”
“We are very pleased to confirm this partnership and welcome Newbury Racecourse on to TRP and Sky Sports Racing,” emphasised Martin Cruddace, Chief Executive of Arena Racing Company. “Newbury is renowned for running some of the sport’s most important and popular fixtures across both the flat and jumps calendars and will become a major element of broadcast packages for both TRP and Sky Sports Racing.
“As a sport, we must continue to work hard to engage with our customers, whether via direct to home television broadcast, online or via the retail betting sector. We very much look forward to working with Newbury to accomplish this.”
Sky Sports Racing’s global rights portfolio already includes Royal Ascot, Chester’s Boodles May Festival, the Cazoo St Leger Festival at Doncaster and Chepstow’s Coral Welsh Grand National, as well as the Breeders’ Cup, US Triple Crown, Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and the Melbourne Cup Carnival.