1/ST CONTENT – the leading provider of premium content for North American horse racing and a key division of 1/ST RACING, the biggest racing company in the Americas – has broadened its growing international footprint with the announcement of a progressive sublicense agreement with South African rights holder, 4Racing.
This multi-year deal revolves around commingling and fixed-odds betting for 1/ST CONTENT’s leading portfolio of racetracks and charges 4Racing with the managing the exploitation and distribution of these exclusive pictures and data to online and retail operators across South Africa and the wider SADC (Southern African Development Community) whose 16 Member States include the likes of Zimbabwe, Angola and Tanzania.
1/ST CONTENT already assembles well over 3,300 days of racing each year from top North American racetracks, such as Gulfstream Park, Santa Anita, Golden Gate Fields, Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, Belmont Park, Aqueduct Racetrack and Saratoga Race Course, alongside Del Mar, Keeneland, Tampa Bay Downs and Woodbine. More recent international distribution partnerships (via NYRA, BetMakers and CDI) have made 1/ST CONTENT the pre-eminent player in the international-rights space.
To which end, 1/ST CONTENT’s delivery of live pictures, data and multidimensional betting services now comprises an unrivalled network of over 70 North American tracks, equipping international operators with a highly-flexible programming schedule, supported by a steady stream of rapid-cycling betting opportunities that are proven to increase digital dwell-time for new and existing customers.
1/ST CONTENT’s acclaimed end-to-end solution, encompassing extensive content that maps approximately 90% of all U.S. racing, accordingly opens the door to many of the planet’s most prestigious horse races. Highlights include the Pegasus World Cup, every leg of the revered Triple Crown series (featuring the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes) and the season’s flagship finale at the Breeders’ Cup World Championships from Santa Anita (3-4 November).
This daily timetable of engaging action, whose chronology naturally complements international racing coverage across varied time-zones, provides 1/ST CONTENT’s global partners with a reliable source of fast-settling betting content at peak leisure-time viewing slots throughout South Africa, whose own daily domestic racing scene seamlessly transitions to East Coast start times at, for example, Gulfstream or Belmont Park.
Stephen Watson, Head of 4Racing TV, said: “1/ST CONTENT stands alone as the proven pacesetter for live North American horse racing content, providing rights, betting data, live broadcast and video streaming on behalf of its growing global portfolio of partners. So, naturally, we’re delighted to take charge of their portfolio under the terms of this progressive new sublicense agreement, allowing us to maximise the reach of North American racing not only in South Africa (a territory long-familiar with horse racing) but also in a broader span of the SADC’s emerging markets where a more educational play around this content is required in African States where football is king.
“More generally, 4Racing is reinvigorating the horse racing industry in South Africa and beyond with a commitment to diversity and transparency in its relationships with stakeholders, designing and implementing a series of new projects and strategies for the betterment of the sport.”
Simon Fraser, Senior Vice President of International at 1/ST CONTENT, added: “1/ST CONTENT is thrilled to build on our strategic relationship with 4Racing to widen the international reach of North American Thoroughbred racing in South Africa and SADC. As a result, fans and bettors around the world can now enjoy more coverage of top-quality racing than ever before, as out service corrals the lowest-latency feeds from thousands of annual meetings, showcasing tens of thousands of races each year. North American racing continues to assist worldwide operators in engaging untapped audiences by delivering 24/7 horse racing, and helps us return the value to a host of U.S. racetracks and their key stakeholders.
“4Racing have previously proven to be a strong partner for us in the Southern African market, so it’s fantastic to be expanding on an already valuable partnership. The distributional scope of their operators is second to none, across both retail and digital.”