Pandemic brings broadcasting peace to racing via Seven Network

COVID-19 has precipitated a temporary peace between NSW and Victorian racing authorities.

The Seven Network will be the neutral centre ground for horse racing’s various broadcasting arrangements from around the country. Picture: Getty Images

COVID-19 has achieved what was previously thought to be impossible in racing, bringing at least temporary peace between NSW and Victorian authorities.

Tabcorp will help fund Sydney and Brisbane races from its Sky Racing network onto the Seven Network’s main free-to-air channel on Saturday, where it will be calibrated with Melbourne and Adelaide races shown by rival Racing.com.

The move brings all the main races onto the one network outside of major events for the first time since the heady days of TVN, the ill-fated Thoroughbred Vision Network, which aggregated NSW and Victorian racing vision until an ugly dispute led to its collapse in 2015.

One racing executive on Thursday described Seven as acting as the neutral “Switzerland” in helping racing bring together its often confusing broadcast rights.

Racing.com, a joint venture between Seven and Victorian racing bodies, telecasts Victorian and South Australian racing and Tabcorp’s Sky shows most other jurisdictions, while Seven had free-to-air rights for important Saturday meets around the country throughout the year and Network Ten pays $20m annually for the Melbourne Cup carnival. Various bookmakers also have streaming deals.

Racing.com coverage of Melbourne and Adelaide has been moved to Seven’s main channel in recent weeks, providing a boost to wagering on races in both markets and giving the network some much-needed live sports content.

Conversely, Tabcorp’s wagering revenue has been hit with its pubs and clubs being shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, and wagering on NSW racing has suffered given its exclusive broadcast deal with the Sky Racing channels, only available on Foxtel and via the TAB and BetEasy apps.

Tabcorp is understood to have tried to broker a deal with Ten before settling a contract with Seven on Thursday, which will see the next six Sydney meets incorporated into Seven’s Saturday telecast and the next four from Brisbane.

“The industry has done a phenomenal job in keeping racing going during the COVID-19 shutdown but we know that many punters are missing going to their local TAB,” said Adam Rytenskild, Tabcorp’s managing director of wagering and media.

“This gives punters another way to watch their favourite racing during this difficult COVID-19 period.”

While there may be a glimmer of hope that similar cooperative deals could be struck in the future, there will still be lines of delineation during Saturday’s broadcast.

TAB odds will be used for Sydney and Brisbane races with comments from Sky broadcasters including Lizzie Jelfs in Sydney, while Sportsbet’s graphics and Racing.com talent will be seen on the Melbourne and Adelaide races.