racing tv
A global TV view
Seb Vance outlines the big plans Racing TV has for international racing – we should all reap the benefits of increased global coverage, writes Sally Duckett
F
OR THOSE OF who did not have the chance of partying at Downing Street in 2020 and 2021, the boredom of lockdown was eased for many by watching some form of television. Aside from consuming hours of Friends or the vast box sets of Line Of Duty or The Crown, it was live sport that proved to be a key lifeline for many. TV viewers craved the live, dynamic and immersive action to break the monotony of life stuck at home; live sport emerged from the pandemic as a winner. Racing enjoyed its own audience uplift, too, with all channels reporting improved figures due to the captive audience. Key metrics from ITV Racing recorded a 2020 Derby audience of 2.3 million, the mostviewed Derby since 2012, while the 2020 Cheltenham Festival hit audience highs not seen since such records began in 2003. The progress continued through 2021, and ITV posted record audiences for every day of the Cheltenham Festival and a 23 per cent increase on 2020, an audience of 8.8 million for the 2021 Randox Grand National, and record figures for the opening day’s racing from Aintree and the Opening Show. The momentum hasn’t slowed in 2022, with ITV Racing audience shares (percentage of viewers watching) posting higher figures than during the lockdown period. The sport’s specialist British-based subscription channel Racing TV also enjoyed its share of the love and its membership increased initially to 62,000, then growing again to a current record high of 65,000.
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Furthermore, the importance of the growth of the digital era and its relevance to racing was brought home over the Aintree fixture – the viewing audience was bolstered by more than 3m video streams, generated via Racecourse Media Group’s (RMG) Watch & Bet service. This was more than double the number of streams that the previous staging of the festival produced in 2019. Those figures have held firm since, backed by some of the innovations brought in and developed over the last 12 months, some of which stretch further than British shores. An international perspective has been developed in order to market key global race days, and the benefits of a whole sport approach are directly tangible, reports Seb Vance, director of RMG’s Communications and International Distribution, when outlining the latest innovation, a global racing package that has been termed the “crown jewels”. “We’ve agreed a partnership with Henry Birtles Associates Media [HBA Media], which manages the rights to a lot of the premium horseracing events around the world, races such as the Breeders’ Cup, the Melbourne Cup, the Saudi Cup, the Pegasus Cup and Royal Ascot,” explains Vance. “We were chatting, probably about six months ago, and, instead of working individually as we had been doing, we came up with the idea to work together and create a package of world class racing throughout the year,
a batch of up 12 or 13 of the best races in the world. “We felt the broadcasters would find a ‘package’ a more compelling and attractive proposition rather than individual races. It gives broadcasters a narrative and storyline throughout the season. “Furthermore, it means that they can promote one event to the next, and, for example, with a lot of the same jockeys riding in the races, they can create some real momentum.” Early reports have been good with the broadcasters receptive to the concept. “It’s been really encouraging with major networks such as Fox Sports in the US, ESPN in South America and SuperSport in Africa increasing their coverage, and we’ve got some new territories interested, too, such as Scandinavia via NENT and South East Asia, through Eclat,” says Vance, adding: “And for RMG’s racecourses, it’s fantastic as they can be
