There appears to be good news coming soon for UK horse racing, after it was leaked this week that a new free to air TV deal with ITV is set to be announced.
The current deal, which runs from 2024 until 2026, has some way to go, so there must be positivity from both camps to get a new deal done so early. If rumours are correct, the new agreement will add four more years to the current deal, which would mean we have live racing on free-to-air TV via the broadcaster until at least 2030.
At a time when there’s a lot of negativity around horse racing, it has to be said, this is great news for the sport, both in terms of keeping things running and being able to have a platform for growing.
In the news right now, we’ve got the racing tax debate in parliament, which has the potential to really harm racing and its funding. Ticket prices, shrinking crowds, the number of runners, and more are other downbeat topics that we’ve talked about recently.
But maybe this deal can be the start of us talking about more upbeat racing topics, where the future looks bright, or at least, a little brighter?
It was the Racing Post that broke the news of the new ITV deal this week, with the expectation that the agreement will be signed in late summer or early autumn.
Key Position on Free-to-Air TV Set to Stay
With a lot of talk surrounding the cost of watching sports on TV, I think it’s a big win for racing that all the main events are live on free-to-air TV. In many ways, as a sport, we operate in a manner opposite to others.
Premier League football, for example, has all of the biggest games on TV, but you’ve got to subscribe to see them. With racing, you need to subscribe to see the lower-quality, day-to-day racing, but the best of the best is always shown for free.
When it comes to growing the sport, this approach of showcasing the best events on TV is great. Now, we all know that racing struggles to promote and capitalise on opportunities, so I’m not saying we’ll see improvement, but the opportunity is still there.
I like the fact that this also brings longevity. With the deal being a long one and coming halfway through the current agreement, we now have a lengthy period where ITV will be the home of horse racing. The BHA should utilise this to their advantage and promote it, alongside highlighting the fact that people can attend the course to watch live.
Many sports experience a strong period around major events, during which new interest arises, but they struggle to maintain it. Racing doesn’t have that problem, as when people are captivated by the Cheltenham Festival, for example, we know that in the days to come, more live racing will be accessible via ITV coverage.
Positives in racing don’t come around half as much as they should. And we should celebrate them when they do, rather than falling into the usual doom and gloom attitude. A big deal for racing, and one that gives absolute stability, while offering the sport a continued chance to keep marketing themselves to the masses. When this deal is signed, we should celebrate and get behind ITV to deliver the best coverage possible.
