NEWS
The Racing Channel might stay on the air in Britain
Posted: Thursday, December 20, 2001
An official of the Racing Channel, which currently has an exclusive agreement with the British Racecourse Association that will expire on April 30, said he is pursuing means to keep the channel on the air even as a rival channel is gearing up for a May 1 launch of racing coverage of 49 of the United Kingdom's 59 racecourses.
David Holdgate, chief executive of Satellite Information Services, which produces and transmits the Racing Channel for the racecourse association said that the channel will not have access to the tracks to be covered by rival Attheraces on the Channel 4 and BSkyB channels, but that company officials are evaluating programming options for the Racing Channel,
"We are assessing the viability of continuing the Racing Channel with the mix of products we have already, and others that may be available," Holdgate told Racing Post, though he would not provide further details. Holdgate also confirmed that the Racing Channel would retain its name as well as its slot on the BSkyB channel menu.
The Racing Channel currently offers racing content from ten smaller British tracks that are signed up with Attheraces rival GG-Media.
SIS also has off-track wagering content agreements with tracks in Ireland, South Africa, and Italy, and British greyhound meetings. The six-year-old Racing Channel also has an agreement under discussion for after May 1 with TRNi, a North American based subsidiary of the Racing Network now operating out of Woodbine, for over five hours of nightly coverage of United States racing from 23 tracks on its BSkyB digital channel.
Launched in 1987, SIS is owned by a consortium of betting shops (including Ladbrokes and Will Hill Organization), the British Racecourse Association, the UK Tote, and United News and Media.
