William Hill Set To Sponsor ITV Horseracing Coverage With Reported £10M Deal

William Hill is reportedly set to become the sponsor of ITV’s racing coverage from next year in a £10M ($12.4M) deal "due to be announced soon," according to Mark Souster of the LONDON TIMES. The bookmaker is "poised to fill the gap left by Dubai, which backed Channel 4’s programming that ends next month." It will be a "big boost for the commercial broadcaster," which goes live on Jan. 1 at the start of a three-year deal. There has been "speculation that the government might look to clamp down on betting advertising" before the 9pm watershed but program sponsorship would not be affected (LONDON TIMES, 11/8). CALVIN AYRE's Lee Davy reported the deal "includes naming rights around the entire scope of ITV's racing coverage both on the main ITV channel and ITV4." ITV "will show 40-days of racing on the main ITV channel." ITV4 will "take on the likes of Sandown’s Tingle Creek meeting, the Coral Welsh National and Cheltenham Trials Day" (CALVIN AYRES, 11/9).