ITV Sport To Challenge Rival Channel 4 For Horse Racing Coverage

ITV Sport is "mounting a major challenge to show horse racing’s marquee meetings" in a move that has already forced current rights holder Channel 4 to beef up its coverage, according to Charles Sale of the London DAILY MAIL. The competition between the two terrestrial networks has seen Racecourse Media Group, which is running the tender process, postpone its rights announcement from before Christmas until the New Year "for the four-year deal starting in 2017." C4 "faced relentless criticism" about its racing coverage over the last three years during which viewing figures -- apart from the Grand National -- have dropped by 25%. C4 is trying to boost its current coverage and "signed up record-breaking jump jockey AP McCoy as pundit." But ITV, which has a considerable rights war-chest after losing the Champions League, is in a position to offer many times the £15M ($22.5M) C4 currently pays over four years and "could easily show the best races on ITV1 and the more routine cards on ITV4" (DAILY MAIL, 12/7).