Newbury Racecourse has signed an initial five-year deal that will ensure all its fixtures will broadcast on Sky Sports Racing from 2024.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the Berkshire circuit announced that its media rights will move to The Racing Partnership and Sky Sports Racing from April 1 2023, with broadcast coverage of the track’s meetings moving from Racing TV to Sky Sports the following January.
Newbury’s 29 annual race meetings include the Dubai Duty Free Spring Trials, the Group One Al Shaqab Lockinge card, the Ladbrokes Winter Carnival and the Grade One Challow Hurdle.
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.”
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.
Matthew Imi, Chief Executive, Sky Sports Racing, said: “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.”
From April 1 2023, all fixtures operated by Newbury Racecourse PLC will be distributed to the retail betting sector via The Racing Partnership.
The channel currently represents the retail betting rights for horseracing fixtures at all sixteen Arena Racing Company 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 January 1, 2024.
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.”
