TV racing set at £20 per month

net1

British racing fans will have to pay up to £240 (E360) a year to watch comprehensive live coverage from courses under plans from Racing UK.
According to a report in the Guardian newspaper, the satellite and cable channel, launched in June following the collapse of British racing's deal with AttheRaces, plans to start charging subscribers from October 1.

The announcement means that viewers, who until earlier this year where able to watch round the clock coverage for nothing on AttheRaces, will have to subscribe if they want to follow the form of jockeys and horses on all the UK's major courses.

Racing UK has signed deals with around half of all the courses in the UK, including those that host many of the major meetings in the racing calendar, while AttheRaces has re-signed the other half. The two sides are also locked in a bitter row over money that AttheRaces believes it is still owed under the terms of the original deal.

Simon Bazalgette, the former Music Choice chief executive who was recently appointed chairman of the new venture, insisted that committed punters would be persuaded to pay £20 a month to follow racing from the 29 courses that have signed rights deals lasting three years or more.

AttheRaces, which relaunched earlier this year as a joint venture between BSkyB and Arena Leisure after its original deal collapsed due to a row over betting revenues, has agreements with 30 courses and will remain free to air.

But Bazalgette was confident of hitting a target of 20,000 paying subscribers and break even within two years. Meetings from South Africa will fill any gaps in the schedule and Racing UK is also in negotiations to secure rights to French racing.