RMG increases media-rights payments to British racecourses

Racecourse Media Group has distributed £85.5m (€101m/$111m) in media-rights payments to the 34 racecourses with which it is affiliated in the UK.

The amount, which represents activities in 2016, is six per cent more than the total paid in 2015. Payments will be made via licence fees and dividends.

RMG is the holding company for a range of media and data rights involving all 34 racecourses.

The rights payments were generated by a number of sources, including Turf TV, the brand name of Amalgamated Racing (AMRAC) and provider of television pictures and data to betting shops in the UK and Ireland.

The racecourses also collected income from multi-platform subscription channel Racing UK; global television betting and pictures service GBI Racing; digital bet-to-view streams; non-betting rights sales overseas; a rights deal with UK commercial broadcaster Channel 4; and the Racecourse Data Company, which licences various pre-race data.