Newbury Racecourse PLC today announced that from 1 April, 2023, its media rights will move to The Racing Partnership (“TRP”) and Sky Sports Racing in a significant initial 5-year deal. All of Newbury’s 29 annual race meetings will be broadcast on Sky Sports Racing from January 2024, adding an extremely valuable portfolio of prominent fixtures across both Flat and Jump to the broadcaster’s schedule, including the Dubai Duty Free Spring Trials, the Group 1 Al Shaqab Lockinge, Ladbrokes Winter Carnival and Grade 1 Challow Hurdle.
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.
From 1 April 2023, all fixtures operated by Newbury Racecourse PLC will be distributed to the retail betting sector via TRP. The channel currently represents the retail betting rights for horseracing fixtures at all sixteen Arena Racing Company (“ARC”) racecourses, as well as Fakenham, Hexham, Newton Abbot, Plumpton and Ripon. In addition, Newbury Racecourse PLC’s online media and data rights will be represented and distributed by TRP from 1 January 2024.
Julian Thick, Chief Executive of Newbury Racecourse said: “We are delighted to announce this strategic partnership with TRP and Sky Sports Racing. 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.
“We would like to thank our current rights holders, RMG who have done and continue to do an excellent job for Newbury and have been a valued partner of ours since 2004.”
Martin Cruddace, Chief Executive of Arena Racing Company, said: “We are very pleased to confirm this partnership and welcome Newbury Racecourse on to TRP and Sky Sports Racing. 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.”
Matthew Imi, Chief Executive, Sky Sports Racing, added: “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.”
Jonathan Licht, Managing Director, Sky Sports, said: “It is a privilege to partner with Newbury Racecourse and explore how we can help support this high-class venue and its associated events. Sky Sports is committed to our position in horse racing and very proud of the broadcast home we’ve built in Sky Sports Racing. Newbury hosts some major racing fixtures, which we believe will benefit from the dedicated and in-depth coverage and promotion that we can provide across the Sky Sports platform.”
