NBC Sports Group announced Sunday that it has reached a multiyear agreement for the exclusive U.S. media rights to broadcast Great Britain’s Royal Ascot horse racing event, starting in '17.
NBCSN will present live coverage of the June event, which is attended by Queen Elizabeth II of England, for at least 3.5 hours a day for five consecutive days, Tuesday through Saturday. All coverage will be streamed on NBC Sports Live Extra, NBC Sports live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets.
Royal Ascot is one of the most prestigious racing events in the world with 30 horse races and more than $8M in purses and is a social and fashion happening in England. Ascot Commercial Dir Juliet Slot said in a statement, “This agreement with NBCUniversal will allow us to bring Royal Ascot to a mainstream American audience -- one that will gravitate to the racing to watch its best horses take on ours, and indeed those more interested in fashions and uniquely British pageantry.”
The agreement increases NBC's commitment to the sport of horse racing. The network has longterm agreements to broadcast horse racing's Triple Crown races -- the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes -- as well as the Breeders' Cup.
