TV3 Grabs Irish Rights To British Horseracing In Four-Year Deal

TV3 signed a four-year partnership with Racecourse Media Group "to show the Cheltenham, Aintree, Epsom and Royal Ascot racing events" from '17, according to Laura Slattery of the IRISH TIMES. The deal means RTÉ has "lost the Irish rights to show key races such as the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Aintree Grand National." TV3, owned by Virgin Media, said that it would "show up to 50 days of live racing action a year across its main channel and 3e, with certain race meetings at Newmarket, Newbury and York also included in the rights package." In the U.K., horseracing rights "will switch next year from Channel 4 to ITV." The TV3 deal is "good news for Irish viewers who would have lost access to certain meetings that were shown by Channel 4, but not by RTÉ" (IRISH TIMES, 12/22).