Saturday evening millions across America will tune in to NBC to witness American Pharoah's bid for the Triple Crown. Interest in the GI Belmont S. is certain to extend across the globe, however, and for the first time exclusively, viewers in Britain and Ireland will be able to tune in to extensive Belmont S. coverage on Racing UK.
Racing UK also enjoyed exclusive rights to air the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Preakness S. last month, an arrangement that turned out to be quite popular among its 50,000 subscribers. The channel devoted more than seven hours to Derby coverage and three to the Preakness, which included features from the NBC coverage as well as insights from U.S. experts Angus McNae, James Willoughby, Rachel Candelora and Timeform's Mark Milligan.
Seb Vance, Director of PR & Communications for Racecourse Media Group, which owns Racing UK, explained that channel has put a strong focus on increasing its international reach in recent years.
“We're constantly looking to strengthen our international portfolio, because racing fans are racing fans; their knowledge and enjoyment of the sport stretches beyond just the UK,” Vance said. “Over the last year or so we've shown the Dubai races, Singapore and Hong Kong's major races, and we show the Canadian International, Melbourne Cup and others; lots of the key international fixtures, and a lot of them do tie in to each other, so it gives people a chance to enjoy racing beyond the UK.”
Vance noted that the timing of the U.S. racing airing in Europe makes it a particularly attractive market.
“Racing UK shows racing from 34 tracks (in the UK), so on a Saturday afternoon we may have all four meetings on simultaneously,” he explained. “There isn't much chance to analyze, discuss, review and preview, whereas with the American racing [the Derby and Preakness] it was just that fixture, so there was a chance to indulge ourselves and our viewers with a real taste of American racing.”
Racing's UK's website and social media traffic also highlights the interest in U.S. racing in Europe; the site's story on American's Pharoah's stud deal with Coolmore was its most-read that week. Racing UK's photo gallery of Animal Kingdom's racecourse gallop prior to Royal Ascot in 2013 had over 11,000 views, and a Tweet about California Chrome last week was clicked on by more than 10,000 people.
Racing UK also has a monthly international round-up program called Planet Turf that has been a hit with viewers.
“That's an extremely popular program,” Vance noted. “We're finding that 10 years ago, or maybe five years ago, there wasn't as great an interest in international racing because people didn't have the chance to watch it or to really understand it, but I think now that channels like ours are showing more international racing, it will hopefully broaden the sport's appeal.”
Vance noted Saturday should be an action-packed day for the channel, with the world's oldest Classic, the G1 Epsom Derby, taking place in the afternoon and the Belmont later that night.
“It's going to work really well on Saturday when it's the Epsom Derby, and then everyone, having drawn breath after watching the Derby, can then watch the final leg of the Triple Crown,” he said. “We're going to bill it as a Classic weekend.”
Viewers outside Britain and Ireland can watch Racing UK's coverage at intl.racinguk.com.
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