Victoria Racing Club is believed to be seeking A$8M ($6M) from Racing Victoria "before it will sign off on a media rights deal that hands racing vision to the Seven Network," according to Russell & Stewart of the HERALD SUN. The VRC supports Racing Victoria Ltd.'s deal to show racing on Seven’s new digital channel 78, but said that it would not sign over TV rights until fair "financial distribution policies" were agreed to. That "fair deal" is believed to be A$8M, "plus an annual slice of the revenue from bookmakers paying to field markets on races. The VRC said on Tuesday that "it would not make further comment on negotiations." Until a deal is reached, Tabcorp "looks set to continue its Sky Racing blackout for Wednesday’s meeting at Ballarat." Tabcorp said it began Tuesday’s blackout in homes and pubs because a new vision agreement had not been reached with RVL.
Seven "indicated it would show racing vision on Channel 78 as soon as an RVL deal was done" (HERALD SUN, 6/16). In Melbourne, Stewart wrote in selecting Seven over Sky the Victorian racing industry "has taken a gamble upon a gamble." The first is that the industry "will earn enough through Seven, via advertising and other streams, to make up for the vast millions that would have been assured with Sky/TAB -- then grow and earn more." But the projections are just that, a gamble, and "reliant greatly" on a catchphrase of the migration from cottage industry coverage to free-to-air -- "new eyeballs." There "is both risk and allure in the notion of once-mighty horse racing finding itself on a mainstream stage." Melbourne Racing Club Chair Mike Symons summed up the ambition of signing with Seven, saying that without mainstream connection and other exposure opportunities, racing "was just talking to itself." A long-retired former industry chief said that a 24/7 racing channel starting with just one meet per day (it will eventually increase) was "unwatchable 'cause it’s deadset boring." He said, "And you’ll never get the supporting content. Footy can do it 'cause it's got 18 teams and endless stories. TVN tried it and it had no audience. Too boring" (HERALD SUN, 6/16).
