Sky Sports Racing adds US, Canadian racecourses to rights portfolio

The Sky Sports Racing arm of UK and Ireland pay-television broadcaster Sky has agreed a multi-year rights deal with the New York Racing Association and Canada’s Woodbine Entertainment Group.

The deals encompass exclusive UK and Ireland broadcast rights for all races from Woodbine, Saratoga, Aqueduct and Belmont Park Racecourses. Belmont Stakes Day races are already contracted to Sky Sports Racing for exclusive broadcast in the UK by rights-holder, US media company NBCUniversal.

Sky Sports Racing will bring coverage from each track into its nightly, studio-hosted US racing broadcasts while a collaboration between attheraces.com and the racecourses will deliver digital and social media coverage.

Earlier this month, Sky acquired exclusive, multi-year rights in the UK and Ireland to Keeneland’s horseracing events. Sky Sports Racing was launched at the start of the year as a rebrand of pay-television channel At The Races.