HRI missing out on golden opportunity for a dedicated Irish Racing Channel
In fact, it would no exaggeration to say I was amazed given they were up against an extremely compelling joint-bid between Racing UK and Setanta.
Now I have to declare an interest here as I have been sponsored by Racing UK for the last four years and was a part of their joint-bid with Setanta Sports. But it also means, I believe, that I am well placed to comment on the issue.
To give you some background, the joint-bid would have meant that every single Irish race would have been shown on one dedicated Irish horse racing channel - Setanta Ireland.
This would have been available free to 500,000 homes on the UPC platform.
There’s no doubt Ireland’s best presenting talent would have migrated towards and it would have meant we wouldn’t have to cross over to say Fakenham or Wolverhampton — or a US racecourse for that matter — as soon as an Irish race was over.
There would also have been the opportunity for detailed previews, analysis and features, without the distraction of racing from the UK or further afield.
As well as being shown in Ireland, the dedicated channel would have been broadcast in the UK too, with Racing UK also showing all the marquee Irish races, meaning that the jumps and flat seasons would have enjoyed a complete narrative on one channel.
The road to Cheltenham could have been played out and cross-promoted in full on just one channel.
The bid was further enhanced with the recent news that Setanta are distributing BT Sport and ESPN in Ireland.
Irish racing could have been showcased alongside major sports, such as live Premier League football, through the Setanta bundle. Again, this looks like another missed opportunity.
The bottom line though, no doubt, is money and it is worth noting that Racing UK has a fine record of generating media rights revenues and paid ÂŁ46 million to their 33 racecourses last year.
I understand there was very little between SIS/ATR and Racing UK/Setanta in terms of guaranteed minimum fees to HRI.
What I would say is that the Racing UK/Setanta joint-bid offered complete transparency and a share of any upside.
I am not sure what more could have been done as it was, in my opinion, a compelling proposal. Both Setanta and Racing UK were fully committed to working with HRI to develop Irish racing and it would be interesting to know the reasons why the joint-bid was unsuccessful.
Maybe the devil you know is better than the one you don’t, but with betting legislation taking so long to be finalised, all sources of extra income need to be exploited and that includes all sources of revenue generated on our tracks each day.
Bars, restaurants and anything that is for sale need to be brought in-house and utilised specifically for the good of that track. I can’t believe HRI looks like passing up such a golden opportunity.
Irish racecourses should have a long look at how Chester racecourse conducts its business.
They have shown the way and a progressive track in this country would do well to study the model.
