British commercial broadcaster ITV has extended a deal to continue showing free-to-air coverage of UK horse racing until the end of 2026.
The three-year deal covers major events such as the Grand National, Royal Ascot, the Derby and the Cheltenham Festival, the 2023 edition of which is taking place this week and will be broadcast on ITV.
ITV began its free-to-air coverage of British racing in 2017, with races shown across both its ITV1 primary channel, ITV4 and ITVx.
“This deal will take us to a decade of racing on ITV and we’re delighted to be able to continue to bring to viewers well over 100 days of live coverage of this wonderful sport, including some of the most enjoyable, storied and thrilling events of each year,” ITV’s director of sport Niall Sloane said.
“We look forward to continuing to work with Racecourse Media Group and our other partners within racing to bring audiences the very best racing has to offer in the coming years.”
Racecourse Media Group chief executive, Martin Stevenson, added: “On behalf of our racecourses, we are delighted to have cemented our relationship with ITV for a further three years.
“ITV have been an excellent partner for the sport, providing more terrestrial coverage here in the UK than in any other racing jurisdiction in the world, illustrating both the commitment of the broadcaster and the enduring popularity of the sport.”
Aside from racing, ITV’s free-to-air sports portfolio also includes football’s English FA Cup, Six Nations rugby, the Rugby World Cup, cycling’s Tour de France, the British Touring Car Championships and the MotoGP motorcycling series.
