UK racecourse owner and operator Arena Racing Company has sealed a five-year extension of its media rights agreement with specialist horse racing pay-television channel At The Races.
The two companies entered into a joint venture in 2004 and the fresh terms mean their partnership will run through June 2019.
ARC managing director Tony Kelly identified At The Races’ commitment to the development of its online, mobile and tablet streaming services as a key factor in the renewed relationship.
Under the terms of the deal, ARC retains its major shareholding in At The Races alongside its partner in the venture, UK pay-television broadcaster BSkyB.
Kelly said: “We are delighted to have renewed our rights agreement with At The Races. For us it is not only about maximising value but also about being at the forefront of new technologies and having maximum exposure for our racecourses, both domestically and internationally. At The Races’ recent creation of its own streaming platform, Sports Mediastream, is an important development in a changing market place and the amount of online, mobile and tablet streams is increasing month by month.”
ARC’s signing represents a timely boost for At The Races, after it yesterday lost the rights to race meetings at Ascot to rival Racing UK.