- Over 30 broadcasters to showcase Royal Ascot across 180 territories and six continents
- Ascot commission ‘Queens of the Turf’ documentary to provide additional content for broadcasters
The 2024 Royal Meeting, taking place from Tuesday 18th June to Saturday 22nd June, is set to be carried by over 30 broadcasters showcasing the event in 180 territories – seeing the reach and interest of Royal Ascot magnify once again.
A jewel in the crown of international horse racing year-on-year has attracted significant broadcaster interest, with HBA Media delivering widespread coverage on behalf of Ascot Racecourse.
A strong international challenge is expected with a powerful contingent from France including Facteur Cheval, Horizon Dore and Ramatuelle all likely to travel to Royal Ascot. Meanwhile as many as six US trainers are expected to send runners, including a clutch of Wesley Ward two-year-olds and Royal Palm Juvenile Stakes winner Gabaldon.
In celebration of the uniquely level playing field of horse racing, Ascot has commissioned a special 24-minute feature titled Queens of the Turf, starring Hollie Doyle, Hayley Turner, Gay Kelleway and Laura Pearson – all Royal Ascot winning jockeys.
Produced by Filmnova and involving an all-female crew, the short documentary is presented by ITV presenter Francesca Cumani and captures the former challenges lady jockeys encountered to the modern-day opportunities and female success within the sport. Queens of the Turf will be available to international broadcasters, most notably on W-sport who solely champion women’s sport and marks their first piece of horse racing content. It will also be streamed on Ascot digital platforms in the lead up to the Royal Meeting. This will be complemented by a suite of promotional material delivered throughout the week.
Content packages available to broadcasters:
· Daily five-hour coverage of ITV Racing’s World Feed, which includes the full 35-race card taking place across the week. In addition, the World Feed will be executively produced and enhanced by Ascot Racecourse and HBA Media to provide broadcasters with continuous coverage across the Royal Meeting.
· The Golden Hour – a bespoke one-hour live show that provides international viewers with the best of the action and lifestyle on Gold Cup Day (Thursday). Presented by Tom Stanley and Michelle Yu, the programme will celebrate all aspects of this year’s Royal Meeting through a distinctly international lens.
· Queens of the Turf – a 24-minute all-women documentary starring Hollie Doyle, Hayley Turner, Gay Kelleway and Laura Pearson, presented by Francesca Cumani.
Distribution:
In their eighth year as the host broadcaster, ITV Racing will present their award-winning coverage live from Ascot Racecourse in daily five-hour programmes from Tuesday 18th June to Saturday 22nd June streamed on ITV and ITV4. Sky Sports Racing and Virgin Media reinforce the UK and Irish audience offering with additional coverage.
In the US, NBC and Peacock will showcase the Royal Meeting across their linear and digital channels, as well as providing an on-course presence. Fans across Latin and South America can watch all the action courtesy of ESPN with SportsMax providing additional coverage in the Caribbean. In Canada, Rogers have acquired the rights for the first time, bringing the Royal Meeting to a wide audience on SportsNet.
Channel 9, Australia’s leading sports broadcaster will air the Golden Hour with Racing.com set to showcase the full Royal Meeting, alongside Sky Thoroughbred Central and Entain (AUS and NZ) also catering for the Oceanic audience.
European coverage will be complemented by returning broadcasters RAI (Italy), Setanta (Baltics and Eurasia), Polsat (Poland), CYTA (Cyprus), WeDoTV (Germany, Switzerland and Austria) and Silknet (Georgia). Viaplay will give coverage across Scandinavia, as well as
incorporating dedicated Dutch commentary for fans in the Netherlands.
TransVision will bring coverage to fans in Indonesia with NTV (Mongolia) being a newcomer to the sport and reinforcing the Asian reach alongside Sony Pictures Network (Indian Subcontinent).
Additionally, for 2024 horse racing fans from 20 dark market territories will be able to watch Royal Ascot through a partnership with EBU, who will showcase the entire five-days live and free-to-air on the digital streaming platform Eurovision Sport.
Elsewhere SuperSport have renewed their deal to bring the races across 48 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. DMI and Al Kass will service 19 countries across the MENA region, while The Green Channel will cover the event for Japanese fans.
BBC HD Maritime will make sure the full Royal Meeting is available on Anuvu cruise ships. In the skies and seas, Sport24 will also broadcast the Royal Ascot Golden Hour to 11 airlines and 18 cruise ships worldwide. Once again Reuters will distribute the full event to their wide networks of news outlets.
Henry Birtles, Chief Executive of HBA Media, said: “We are delighted to have extended our working relationship with Ascot Racecourse for a further four years (2024 – 2027) and are immensely proud of the distribution achieved for the Royal Meeting.
“Championed by HBA, the enhanced World Feed and the co-produced Golden Hour now befits the international audience and the commission of Queens of the Turf documentary ensures that Royal Ascot is the jewel in the racing calendar for their broadcast partners.
Felicity Barnard, Commercial Director and Deputy Chief Executive at Ascot Racecourse, added:
“It is fantastic to see the interest and engagement in Royal Ascot continue to grow to record levels. The global nature of the meeting is so important, and we are thrilled that there is such a wide range of broadcasters planning to showcase the week once again. From world-class racing to unique, behind-the-scenes content, we look forward to ensuring the millions watching around the world enjoy another memorable Royal Meeting.”
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