Sky’s Prime signs NZ Racing deal

Pay-television broadcaster Sky New Zealand’s national free-to-air channel Prime has agreed a rights deal with horse racing’s NZ Racing Board.

Prime will become NZ Racing’s new official broadcast partner, featuring top New Zealand horse racing events and becoming the new free-to-air home of the Melbourne Cup in New Zealand ahead of the annual staging of the showpiece event on Tuesday.

NZ Racing Board’s acting general manager of broadcasting, Christine Hogg, said: “The partnership is an important component of our accessibility strategy as we strive to make racing a leading form of entertainment in New Zealand.”

Prime is available on Freeview television and on the Sky platform. NZ Racing’s previous free-to-air partner was commercial broadcaster TV3.

Terms of Prime’s deal with NZ Racing were undisclosed.