A record 36 broadcasters will showcase the world’s greatest Flat race, the Betfred Derby, at Epsom Downs Racecourse this Saturday (June 1st).
Racecourse Media Group – working closely with Jockey Club Racecourses (which owns and operates Epsom Downs Racecourse) and its appointed media distribution agency, HBA Media – has achieved unprecedented interest, with television viewers in more than 160 territories able to watch the iconic race, which offers more than £850,000 to the winning connections.
There is an increase of 11 new live broadcasters on last year, including Sportsnet, the leading sports channel in Canada, Transvision (Indonesia), NTV (Mongolia), Racing.com and Entain (Australia), and Sport 24 and Anuvu (airlines and cruiselines).
Pan-European coverage has been secured through another first-time deal with Eurovision Sport’s OTT platform, which will show the full World Feed in 20 new European territories.
On-site broadcasters include leading US racing channel Fanduel, Sky Racing Thoroughbred Central from Australia, and the Dubai Racing Channel, as well as domestic channels ITV and Racing TV.
Audiences in the rest of Europe (Virgin Media, Viaplay, Setanta, Equidia, Polsat, SilkNet, Wedo TV) Africa (SuperSport, Racing 240, Gallop TV), Japan (Green Channel), Hong Kong (HKJC, Cable TV, TVB, Now TV), and Latin American and Caribbean (ESPN / Star +, SportsMax) will also be well served with live coverage. Focus will be kept on the Betfred Derby via news syndication deals with Reuters and SNTV.
There are 41 broadcasters in total lined up to take coverage, including CNN International, which has scheduled in a slot for a highlights package on its World Sport programme for Saturday evening, while the mainstay of sports magazine programmes, Trans World Sports, will include the race in their monthly show. SPN (Sony) will show a one-hour programme on delay to its substantial audience in the Indian subcontinent.
Tom Sammes, General Manager of Epsom Downs Racecourse, said: “The Betfred Derby is the most famous and iconic Flat race in the world so it’s fantastic that a record number of international broadcasters will be showing this year’s renewal.
“While there is nowhere quite like Epsom Downs to watch the action and enjoy the carnival atmosphere this weekend, we’re delighted that racing fans all over the globe will be able to see a new champion crowned this Saturday.”
The Betfred Derby is a feature of the Crown Jewels Racing (CJR) broadcast package, which showcases 18 of the best horseracing events in the world, all evenly-spaced throughout the year. Broadcasters can elect to take the CJR ‘Golden Hour’ (produced by ITV, Racecourse Media Group and HBA Media) or the full 3.5-hour world feed produced by ITV. The CJR promo can be viewed here and the CJR Fantasy game is free to play at https://fantasy.crownjewelsracing.com.