Free- to- air in the race
AS NEW South Wales moves closer to striking a 52- week Saturday free- to- air broadcast agreement for Sydney racing, Queensland officials face a looming deadline to join the party.
Sydney racing will be on Channel 7 or 7Two from this Saturday through to the All Aged Stakes Day on April 21.
It is understood officials in New South Wales are keen to ink a deal with Seven in the next four to six weeks which would extend the free- to- air arrangement to every Saturday of the year. If Queensland does not agree to come on board before that deadline arrives, Sydney would likely “go it alone” for the annual coverage.
Coverage of Brisbane meetings on Sky’s premium Thoroughbred Central ( STC) has long been a bugbear of Queensland punters, who feel the local product has been consistently set aside to cater for mass NSW coverage.
But if a free- to- air agreement is struck, Seven’s coverage would be almost a replica of STC and it is understood Racing NSW has agreed to reduce its current extended provincial coverage to “vision only”, allowing more time for Brisbane.
It may also solve the riddle of Brisbane’s races constantly being stuck in the middle of a 15- minute jam between Sydney and Melbourne.
The free- to- air puzzle comes amid of looming rights negotiations, with Queensland’s current deal with SKY to end in 2020, and the enacting of Racing Queensland’s Deed of Understanding, which was signed with SKY’s parent company Tabcorp in 2017.
“One of the key drivers in Racing Queensland’s five- year strategic plan is to review and maximise its media rights opportunities to grow revenue and further increase returns to industry participants,” RQ chief executive Eliot Forbes said.
“Racing Queensland has met with Tabcorp on several occasions to discuss a range of commercial opportunities, including media rights.
“Racing Queensland will continue to examine media rights opportunities with our commercial partners as they emerge, including potential free- to- air broadcasting opportunities.”
One insider described the money needed for Queensland to join the freeto- air deal as “peanuts” by comparison with the potential for increased wagering revenue from such a venture.