ITV Racing and Paddy Power signed a deal to make the sports betting brand the new sponsor of the media’s live racing coverage effective January 1, 2021, ITV announced. The partnership also covers ITV’s magazine program, The Opening Show.
Last year, ITV Sport announced it would maintain its exclusivity regarding free-to-air broadcasting of horse racing until 2023, and will continue to broadcast nearly 100 days of racing events annually.
Marquee Presence
ITV Racing covers marquee horse racing events among which The Festival at Cheltenham, the Randox Health Grand National Meeting from Aintree, The Derby Festival from Epsom Downs, Royal Ascot and QIPCO British Champions Day from Ascot, Welcome to Yorkshire Ebor Festival from York, the St Leger Festival from Doncaster, and Qatar Goodwood Festival.
“ITV Racing has become the bedrock of our ITV Sport programming calendar. The weekly output and excellent expert presentation has taken Racing to new levels in terms of profile and audiences.”
Mark Trinder, Director, Commercial Sales and Partnerships, ITV
According to the partnership negotiated by MediaCom, Flutter-owned Paddy Power will sponsor all Live Racing fixtures across the main and ITV4 channels, while another Flutter-owned brand, Betfair, will chip in as a sponsor for The Opening Show, according to the 2-year deal.
‘‘Just like Betfair, The Opening Show is first port of call for all Horse Racing fans on a Saturday morning and for all the big festivals so we are delighted to support a show that is such a significant launching pad for the top quality Racing coverage ITV produces.”
Stephen Mault, Marketing Director, Betfair
Admirable Qualities
The marketing director of Betfair also outlined the tenacity of the ITV Racing team and their strong will to be the best, even under difficult conditions, qualities highly cherished and adhered to at the sports betting brand and aligned with its aim to benefit its customers.
“ITV Racing has been brilliant for the sport for the last four years and we viewed it as a natural synergy to become headline sponsor for the BAFTA Award winning show.”
Michelle Spillane, Marketing Director, Paddy Power
The ITV Racing coverage which won the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) in 2018 saw its ratings go up 22% in 2020 compared to 2019.
“We’re looking forward to working with the immensely-talented ITV team for at least the next two years and it’s great to be an integral part of a presentation that produces brilliant quality sporting coverage for our customers week in week out.”
Michelle Spillane, Marketing Director, Paddy Power
The sponsorship deal which will allow both sports betting brands to feature in the ITV Racing App, covers broadcast, catch up, digital, social, podcast and licensing rights, while ITV Creative will be charged with creative content production.
“I welcome Flutter Entertainment to the fold as our new broadcast sponsor. It’s great to be working alongside the team there on what I’m sure will be another vintage year at the races.”
Mark Trinder, Director, Commercial Sales and Partnerships, ITV
The comprehensive racing coverage across ITV channels and the ITV Hub led by Ed Chamberlin and co-presenters Oli Bell and Francesca Cumani can be accessed by viewers on all mobile devices.