‘Monumental for racing’: Peter V’landys in talks with DAZN for global racing channel
Racing NSW boss Peter V’landys has revealed global sports streaming giant DAZN is considering a revolutionary world horse racing channel that would forever change the face of the sport.
Peter V’landys has revealed he has held talks with global sports streaming giant DAZN about a revolutionary world horse racing channel that would forever change the face of the sport.
The racing and rugby league powerbroker has outlined the potential for racing to get more than 400 million additional viewers around the globe in a stunning development which would be “monumental for racing”.
Racing broadcasting is currently disjointed on a global stage and even in Australia, which has multiple broadcasters for different racing products.
While in America recently, V’landys floated the idea of a world racing channel to DAZN owner Len Blavatnik and CEO Shay Segev, a former chief executive of wagering giant Entain.
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It is extremely rare to get a meeting with Blavatnik, worth $42 billion and estimated to be the 75th-richest person in the world.
“We have got a disjointed international way to broadcast our races and along comes DAZN which has now taken over Foxtel,” V’landys told Racenet.
“So the first thing I thought of was that DAZN has got 400 million users around the world, why don’t we have a world racing channel where every race meeting can go on this platform?
“I have spoken to DAZN in relation to that.
“If we can get that off the ground it could be monumental for racing, not only in New South Wales and Australia but for all the jurisdictions around the world.
“This could be the biggest breakthrough for racing worldwide.”
• READ THE FULL Q&A: Peter V’landys on Rosehill, politics, the haters, his future and more
V’landys said both Blavatnik and Segev, with his strong wagering background, embraced the bold concept in a meeting which lasted several hours across a variety of topics.
“They loved the idea because Shay was the former CEO of Entain worldwide, he is a real visionary and I really admire him and how he does things,” V’landys said.
“If anyone can do things it’s Shay and I am sure that he can produce that vision worldwide.
“DAZN has one of the greatest platforms ever in the history of sport and its subscribers are only going to go up as DAZN is getting more and more sporting products around the world.”
The exciting concept is the latest example of how V’landys sometimes parlays his work as Racing NSW chief executive with his gig as Australian Rugby League Commission chairman.
He might have been in America for talks about rugby league, but he made sure to fly the flag for racing with some of the most powerful broadcasters in the world.
If it gets off the ground, the world racing channel would be a one-stop shop to watch races anywhere in the world using the global reach of DAZN to showcase racing in countries where it is currently not even seen.
The benefits for wagering turnover – the lifeblood of the sport – could be astronomical.
It would also give racing far more relevance on an international stage as, with one click of a button, countless millions of DAZN users could access racing vision that they have never seen before.
It could take racing more to the mainstream sports viewer, opening up countless new opportunities and avenues for growth.
V’landys thinks the concept of a global racing channel is a no-brainer.
“Internationally, the way races are broadcast has been completely disjointed,” V’landys said.
“You should be able to go on a channel and watch every race you want to in Japan, in England, anywhere.
“Anywhere in the world you want to watch a race, there should be a channel that you can have it.
“In Australia, a lot of it has got to do with the TAB and we have to talk to them about it.”
V’landys will sit down and consider his future at the end of the year and decide whether he will keep doing both high-powered jobs in both racing and in rugby league.
But he insists doing both jobs has been of major benefit to both sports and pointed to his trip to America, where he spoke with heavy hitters about racing and league issues.
“Having a profile in both is a big assistance to both sports,” V’landys said.
“During the Covid pandemic was the best example of that.
“In NSW, we continued to race all the way all the way through Covid and that was because we had great representation in Government.
“The Government knew who I was because of my profile in rugby league.”
Originally published as ‘Monumental for racing’: Peter V’landys in talks with DAZN for global racing channel
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