Racing Victoria signs rights deal with bookmaker

Australian horseracing organisation Racing Victoria has signed a non-exclusive digital streaming rights agreement with online bookmaker Sportsbet.

Terms of the agreement were not disclosed, but the Herald Sun newspaper said it is worth A$3m (€2.17m/$2.3m) over a five-year term from 2015 to 2019.

Under the digital licence agreement, Sportsbet will be granted live streaming rights to Victorian thoroughbred races for its nominated digital platforms.

The partnership takes effect immediately and Sportsbet account holders will be able to view Victorian races live, as well as view race replays up until midnight on the day of the race, when they log into their account via app or web.

Racing Victoria has been seeking to widen access to its events following the collapse of pay-television broadcaster TVN.

Racing Victoria last month struck a short-term rights deal with pay-television horseracing broadcaster Sky Racing. The temporary deal was agreed in order to avert a blackout following the demise of TVN, which ceased broadcasting on March 15.

Bernard Saundry, Racing Victoria's chief executive, said the industry was continuing discussions with other online wagering operators, as well as with Tabcorp which is engaged in negotiations on a broader media rights deal incorporating digital.