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Racing TV (formerly Racing UK) is a British television channel with 34 racecourses as shareholders and fixtures from 61 racecourses broadcast live on its output.

Racing TV is one of the two major UK horse racing television channels, the other being Sky Sports Racing. The station is dedicated to horse racing broadcasting over 70% of all live racing from Britain and Ireland, including nearly 90% of all Group and Graded races.

History

Known as The Horse Racing Channel before launch, Racing UK soft-launched on 29 May 2004 on the Sky Digital channel iSports TV. Two months later on 16 July, the network entered into a partnership with Irish sports broadcaster Setanta Sports to officially launch the network in September, where Setanta would be the channel's broadcast partner and distributor. The channel officially launched on Sky Channel 432 on 1 September and remained on Channel 425 until the end of the month when the channel would become encrypted. Racing UK was added to Telewest's Active Digital service on 15 September and later launched an online service. The channel launched on the NTL: Home digital cable platform in February 2005.

As Racing UK grew several other business units and joint ventures were developed under the ownership of the parent company Racecourse Media Group Ltd.

On 3 March 2006, the channel announced the launch of Racing World, a sister network formed as a joint-venture with the American-based Magna Entertainment Corp. and Churchill Downs Incorporated and would broadcast Horse Races from both companies. The channel launched on Sky Digital on 8 March 2006. On August 17, the broadcaster entered into an expanded partnership with Setanta by merging it's standalone subscription package of Racing UK and Racing World with Setanta's, allowing Setanta customers access to the channel and Racing World and Racing UK/Racing World subscribers access to Setanta's networks on all platforms.

In May 2008, Racing UK announced the axing of Racing World due to poor viewing figures. It's EPG slot on Sky was given to Setanta Sports, still under the Racing World name.

On 23 June 2009, following financial difficulties and collapse into administration in the United Kingdom, Setanta Sports shuttered all their television networks. Racing UK announced the following day that they would take over operations of the network on their own and would broadcast free-to-air for the summer. The network resumed it's subscription package on August 16, and soon became encrypted on Virgin Media as well.

On 17 December 2018, Racing UK was rebranded as Racing TV on air in anticipation of the first live broadcast of racing from Ireland on 1 January 2019. At the same time, Racing TV began promoting its new Racing TV Extra service which provides viewers with dedicated feeds from each racecourse fixture via Streaming and OTT TV platforms(SD only for Virgin Media Ireland customers).

Racecourse Media Group

Racecourse Media Group Ltd (RMG) is the umbrella organisation for the 34 Racecourses, which holds their interest in Racing TV, Racecourse Retail Business, Racing TVi and RDC. The racecourses (and shareholders) are: Aintree, Ayr, Beverley, Carlisle, Cartmel, Catterick Bridge, Cheltenham, Chelmsford, Epsom Downs, Exeter, Fakenham, Goodwood, Hamilton Park, Haydock Park, Huntingdon, Kelso, Kempton Park, Leicester, Ludlow, Market Rasen, Musselburgh, Newbury, Newmarket, Nottingham, Perth, Pontefract, Redcar, Salisbury, Sandown Park, Stratford, Taunton, Thirsk, Warwick, Wetherby, Wincanton and York.

Contracted courses

The list of the racecourses that are contracted to Racing TV are:

• Aintree
• Ascot (British Champions Day only)
• Ayr
• Ballinrobe
• Bellewstown
• Beverley
• Carlisle
• Cartmel
• Catterick Bridge
• Chelmsford City
• Cheltenham
• Clonmel
• Cork
• Curragh
• Downpatrick
• Down Royal
• Dundalk
• Epsom Downs
• Exeter
• Fairyhouse
• Fakenham
• Galway
• Goodwood
• Gowran Park
• Hamilton Park
• Haydock Park
• Huntingdon
• Kelso
• Kempton Park
• Kilbeggan
• Killarney
• Laytown
• Leicester
• Leopardstown
• Limerick
• Listowel
• Ludlow
• Market Rasen
• Musselburgh
• Naas
• Navan
• Newmarket
• Newmarket (Rowley)
• Nottingham
• Pontefract
• Perth
• Punchestown
• Redcar
• Roscommon
• Salisbury
• Sandown Park
• Sligo
• Stratford-on-Avon
• Taunton
• Thirsk
• Thurles
• Tipperary
• Tramore
• Warwick
• Wetherby
• Wexford
• Wincanton
• York

Programming

The channel starts broadcasting before live racing every day. In the mornings Racing Replay and/or Irish Racing Replay is shown until one of Mark Your Card, Full SP or Luck on Sunday are broadcast, live racing from the UK and Ireland typically follows in the afternoon and evening. The programmes have been produced in High-definition at Ealing Studios since 2012 and on location from the 61 racecourses. In late 2023 the production moved to Ealing Broadcast Centre Racing UK was the first dedicated horse racing channel to broadcast racing in HD when it launched its new service on 14 March 2016.

• Live Racing
• Racing Replay
• Irish Racing Replay
• Mark Your Card
• This Racing Life
• Luck On Sunday
• The Road to Cheltenham
• The Friday Club
• The Full SP
• My Racing Life

Presenters

• Angus McNae – Studio presenter and on-course reporter
• Nick Lightfoot – Studio presenter and on-course reporter
• Nick Luck – Studio presenter and on-course reporter. Also worked for Channel 4 Racing
• Lydia Hislop – Studio presenter and on-course reporter. Also worked for BBC Sport
• Rishi Persad – Studio presenter and on-course reporter. Also works for BBC Sport and ITV Racing
• Ruby Walsh – Occasional studio work and on-course reporter. (former jockey). Also works for ITV Racing
• Tom Stanley – Studio presenter and on-course reporter.
• Gary O'Brien - On-course reporter.
• Kevin O'Ryan - On-course reporter.
• Fran Berry – On-course reporter (former jockey).
• Niall Hannity – Studio presenter and on-course reporter (former jockey).
• Rachel Casey – Studio presenter and on-course reporter.
• Gordon Brown – On-course reporter.
• Martin Dwyer – Occasional studio work and on-course reporter (jockey).
• George Baker (jockey) - Occasional studio work and on-course reporter (former jockey).
• Sam Turner - On-course reporter and tipster.
• Dave Nevison - On-course reporter and tipster.
• Chris Dixon - On-course reporter.
• Martin Dixon - On-course reporter.
• Mark Howard - On-course reporter.

References

1. Evans, Richard (31 May 2004). "Racing UK make impressive start". Retrieved 18 November 2019.
2. "Racing UK to become Racing TV – the new home of British and Irish racing". Racing TV. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
3. "- Press Releases". Archived from the original on 23 May 2006.
4. "Rishi Persad introduces the first coverage of the new racing channel..." Getty Images. 29 May 2004. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
5. "Horse racing: Derby to have flip start if stall handlers strike". The Guardian. 27 May 2004. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
6. Evans, Richard (31 May 2004). "Racing UK make impressive start". Retrieved 18 November 2019.
7. "Setanta Sports teams up with Racing UK". Irish Examiner. 16 July 2004. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
8. "- Press Releases". Archived from the original on 23 May 2006.
9. "- Press Releases". Archived from the original on 23 May 2006.
10. "- Press Releases". Archived from the original on 23 May 2006.
11. "- Press Releases". Archived from the original on 23 May 2006.
12. "NTL subscribers to get Racing UK".
13. "Racing UK to launch on NTL". Digital Spy. 16 February 2005.
14. "RMG » About US". Retrieved 1 October 2020.
15. "- Press Releases". Archived from the original on 23 May 2006.
16. "- Press Releases". Archived from the original on 29 May 2007.
17. https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/154157/cdi-mec-pull-out-of-racing-world-uk
18. "Racing World Scrapped". 4 May 2008.
19. Setanta goes off air in Great Britain Digital Spy, 23 June 2009
20. "Racing UK to go it alone".
21. "Racing UK restarts taking subscriptions". Digital Spy. 11 August 2009.
22. "Racing UK to become Racing TV as a new dawn beckons". The Irish Times. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
23. "RMG » RRB". Retrieved 1 October 2020.
24. "RMG » Racecourses". Retrieved 1 October 2020.
25. "The Latest Horse Racing TV Schedule". Racing TV. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
26. "Racing UK opens up new Timeline". TVBEurope. 7 February 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
27. Will2016-03-08T11:15:00+00:00. "Racing UK upgrades to HD". Broadcast. Retrieved 1 October 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

External links

• Official website
• Racecourse Media Group
• Racing TV on Twitter

• Sports television channels in the United Kingdom
• Sports television in the United Kingdom
• Horse racing mass media in the United Kingdom
• Horse racing mass media
• Television channels and stations established in 2004