PRIME7 "will immediately start free-to-air broadcasting of Victorian thoroughbred racing to regional television viewers, commencing with the Pakenham card on the synthetic track," according to Brendan Cormick of THE AUSTRALIAN. Channel 68 "will take vision to punters and racing fans throughout regional Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia, along with the ACT and Gold Coast -- expanding the daily free-to-air coverage already broadcast through the metropolitan markets of Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, as well as through much of regional Queensland." This means that more than 90% of the Australian population "now has access to the free-to-air broadcast of Victorian thoroughbred racing." Seven West Media "has partnered with Victorian racing and will launch under a five-year agreement on the new channels" from Aug. 29. Racing Victoria CEO Bernard Saundry said that "Seven West Media was still in discussions with affiliate broadcasters through Tasmania, the Northern Territory and regional South Australia to ensure viewers in those areas were able to access vision of Victorian racing at the earliest possible opportunity." Saundry said, "Seven’s discussions with Foxtel around extending the Channel 78 broadcast to their pay-TV platform are progressing, whilst we are continuing daily discussions with Tabcorp in the hope of returning Victorian racing to Sky Racing’s wall-to-wall channels" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 7/28).
