State-owned media company Dubai Media Incorporated has reached a four-year rights deal, from 2013 to 2016, with Racecourse Media Group, which controls the media rights of 30 British racecourses, and English racecourse Ascot.
Under the agreement, the state-owned Dubai Sports and Dubai Racing terrestrial channels will show coverage of flat racing events from all of the racecourses owned by RMG, as well as Ascot, which is not controlled by the group.
The rights include events such as the Derby Festival at Epsom, the Guineas Festival at Newmarket, York’s Ebor Festival, Glorious Goodwood, and Ascot events such as British Champions Day, Royal Ascot, the King George VI Stakes and the Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
Outside of Dubai, the two channels are available on satellite and cable-television platforms in Bahrain, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Yemen.
“British racing has greatly appreciated the valued support of Dubai and the UAE in various capacities for many years now, and we look forward to our best racing garnering excellent exposure in the UAE and the rest of the Middle East,” RMG’s director of business development, Simon Brydon, said.