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I think regardless of the sale they would have eventually charged. If not why start getting everyone to register to access the information?
if RP becomes unavailable for free and you don’t like the SL website why not give IrishRacing a go – it’s got all the news and cards and articles and it’s form guides are from RP records (as i think are ATR) and the cards are actually set out a bit better i think with quick form guides available for the last 3 races if you hover the cursor over the horses name
also there is an irish equivalent of timeform (though nowhere near as good at picking winners imo) and that is called turform and although the cards cost 5 euros, when you sign up they give you a 20 euro credit to get the first 4 cards free – irish racing only cards
They will be charging within weeks, if not days, but it will be interesting to see how they go about it. Charging per download for the video form – as opposed to a flat fee – has pretty much killed it for most users, but the new mob are a good deal shrewder than the last lot and unlikely to go down that route.
A flat fee of £10 a month would get plenty of takers if – and it’s a big if – it includes unlimited access to video form (which, don’t forget, is completely free on Attheraces).
What could muddy the waters from the RP point of view is serious competition. At the moment, there isn’t any, but theirs is not the only major racing database in existence. Timeform is now owned by Betfair and it is very much in Betfair’s interests to make as much form as possible as widely available as possible to keep people betting on its core racing markets. They have more than enough teccys to produce a serious rival to the RP site, and more than enough money in the bank to keep it free.
Very good point by Mr Frisk about Timeform under proper management. Someone needs to breath some life into the dinosaur from Halifax and they have a really good market opportunity.
Hello,
Could some/any member please post up for me a responsible and working link which ACTUALLY confirms without doubt that Peter Crowley’s FL Partnership has definitely consolidated/completed the buy-out of the Racing Post ?
I really would be most grateful.Have done a detailed search of SKY, BBC, FT, RTE etc websites and cannot find any DEFINITE confirmation of this.
Thanks and Regards.
Very good, Gareth, …………… thank you for that.
BUT, from that link I read that the sale of the RP by Trinity Mirror to FL is “EXPECTED to be announced later today” ( August 2nd). Nowhere I have looked have I been able to determine that the sale has actually been completed.
I don’t doubt anyone on this forum, nor do I wish to come across as some pedantic stickler, but I have yet to find anywhere some confirmation that this deal is done and dusted![/i]
…….the new mob are a good deal shrewder than the last lot….
The website for FL Partners indicates it was formed only last year and is run by a couple of Irish corporate-finance types:
Assuming the Sports Division is eventually sold to them, does anyone know who is/are their retained expert(s) in identifying for development what an experienced publisher like Trinity Mirror has described as a mature business in explaining to investors its decision to sell?
The CVs of the two principals don’t seem to indicate any racing publishing experience on their own part….
best regards
wit
Wit…it may be a complete coincidence but the ‘news’ broke the same day Trinity Mirror published their ‘Half Yearly Interim Accounts’ (no mention it of it in their press release)…..but then again….
thanks for that Gareth.
i’ve now caught up with this from the Daily Telegraph of May 31:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.j … post30.xml
Pompete, i’ve also found this report that FL entered into exclusive negotiations at the beginning of June:
http://www.brandrepublic.com/login/News/662582/
best regards
wit
i make no suggestion or inference of any kind regarding the following, since coming from an outsider that would be pure speculation.
so i just list without comment a series of items noted from public sources:
1. In June 2007 an English company named Stradbrook Acquisitions was formed. Two of its directors and the company secretary have Irish nationality and addresses and share the names of individuals named on the website of FL Partners (viz Peter Crowley, Neill Hughes, Mark Flood).
2. The third director is also an Irishman, Alan John Byrne, with a London address and described as a consultant.
3. Mr Byrne is also listed as a director of Portway Press Ltd, a publishing company that recently moved its registered office from Timeform House, Halifax to Hammersmith, London.
4. The registered office of Stradbrook Acquisitions is listed at the same address and postcode in London (EC2N 2HA) as the registered office and operating office of a web company named Wecomm Ltd.
5. The website of Wecomm Ltd indicates that it is in the business of providing solutions in the areas of mobile tv, on-device media portals, betting and gaming, financial services, and advertising:
http://www.wecomm.com/betting_gaming.html
6. Wecomm’s website lists among its clients BSkyB, Skybet, News International, United News & Media and Cantor Index
7. Wecomm has just issued some more shares to bring in around an extra GBP 2.8m .
8. There is though also a US law firm named Cahill with an office at that address.
who knows whether any lines can be drawn between that lot, and if so in what direction.
the position of Mr Byrne looks rather interesting though.
best regards
wit
Betfair, Timeform, Racing Post. RUK would make a nice addition to the folio.
If the Betfair are behind this move to acquire the RP the bookmakers will have a problem deciding where to spend their advertising money.
I’d be very surprised if Alan Byrne were to continue as a director of Timeform now that the Racing Post deal has been concluded.
i agree.
mind you he was only appointed a director of Portway on 6th March 2007, so had been there all of 3 months before undertaking the directorship with the FL Partners vehicle on 11th June, since when Companies House has him with both for the past 2 months.
whether he has found readier ears for his ideas, better prospects, or whatever…….who knows.
bit cheeky but – since he is a newspaperman – anybody on good enough terms with him to ask ?
best regards
wit
…answer came there none.
i have an image of half the journos on the forum quite sensibly wishing not to prejudice future earnings from the RP….
….and the other half writing to Timeform on the basis that it is a truth universally acknowledged, that a company in possession of a good racing database, must be in want of a replacement consultant.
best regards
wit
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