Sky To Launch New Horse Racing Channel
April 30, 2018
Sky is to launch a new TV channel dedicated to horse racing later this year.
‘Sky Sports Racing’ will replace ‘At The Races’ by the end of 2018 and will be made available in HD, produced from Sky’s studios in West London.
The channel will be available to UK and Ireland customers on TV and on mobile through Sky GO.
A 10-year deal with Chester Race Company has also been signed to bring live racing from Chester and Bangor-on-Dee to ‘Sky Sports Racing’ from March 2019.
Managing Director of Sky Sports, Barney Francis, said: “We’ve seen a great reaction from our customers to launching dedicated sports channels and this takes us to another level. Horse racing is a massive sport that Sky has been involved in for two decades, now we will have a channel to give our customers more of what they love every day. Adding Chester and Bangor-on-Dee is fantastic news and we look forward to making Sky Sports Racing a new home for racing fans.”
Chief Executive of Chester Race Company, Richard Thomas, commented: “We’re delighted to announce this new deal and long-term partnership. We believe it secures a positive and exciting future for Chester and Bangor-on-Dee Racecourses and fits squarely with our values and ambitions. We know Sky Sports will move the dial in the way our racing is covered but more than that we are excited by the prospect of how we can communicate and promote racing and the Chester brand further.”
Chief Executive of ‘At The Races’, Matthew Imi, added: “We very much look forward to working with Richard and his excellent teams at Chester and Bangor-on-Dee. The Boodles May Festival at Chester is a true highlight of the UK racing calendar and both tracks are very well supported and respected within the industry as well as being truly progressive in their outlook. Also, there is no better home for our new channel production facility than Sky Sports’ studios which are the best in the business and we believe Sky Sports Racing is set to be a game changer for racing. Later this year we look forward to presenting our plans in more detail to the major constituents in our sport and racing fans more generally.”
