- This topic has 116 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 7 months, 3 weeks ago by
.
-
Posts
-
Good news on the face of it.
Um, only 2 questions. How soon will they incorporate it into the Sports package and we have to pay extra for it and will they be brave enough to fire Matt once and for all?
If you read the article, it wont be part of the sky sports subscription pack, it’ll be available to all sky and cable subscribers as part of their normal channel bundles, exact same as just now.
A few weeks ago Racecourse Media Group (RMG=RUK) looked fairly pleased with themselves after giving their only opponent, ATR, another going-over after pinching their Irish business. ATR has always been smaller/weaker than RUK, and RUK were always a little smug about that. What will RMG/RUK feel now? They have a turnover of about £60 million, and now a really big player like Sky, turnover north of £10 BILLION, steps into the ring. From the Racing Post article it seems that Sky would like to start the fight by using its technical sporting prowess and its relatively huge viewer potential to take Ascot away from RMG as soon as possible, and expect that taking away the nation’s poshest venue might persuade other tracks to jump ship too. There is something pleasingly satisfying seeing a big player gradually pushing a smaller player to the brink, and thinking “All this will soon be mine”, and then watching the reaction as a huge monster enters the scene. I can’t wait for Netflix or Amazon Prime to set their sights on acquiring RMG.
MV- really interested to hear why you think Netflix or Amazon will set their sites on Racing?
Twitter: Jackh1092
Hindsight is 20/20 so make the most of it!Sorry. That last sentence was a bit of a jest. Just saying that surprises happen. RMG must be surprised at Sky stepping in, just when they thought they had it all sewn up. It may not be the last surprise. If those two were even remotely interested in racing it would surely be in the USA. But they are two big fast-expanding media companies, they will want to grow, and after movies and direct TV, it would not be a surprise if they eventually went into to sports as well. Sports on TV in the USA is really big business though mostly NFL, baseball, NHL, soccer, golf; – horses would be quite small beer for them.
Sky will need to try and pinch back some of RUK’s courses as it don’t matter how much money you throw at it (not convinced that they will at the moment) without the top races to support the channel it will struggle to pull in the numbers.
Sorry MV lol!
Three main positives that come from this that i can think of:
Increased likelihood of HD+ sooner hopefully.
Increased spend and ambition- probably as said above trying to claw back some of the bigger UK tracks
No need for ATR Player (£10 per month extra) i presume it will be available on SkyGO. Not only is this a positive financially, but ATR player can be quite annoying, as it times out if you open another tab quite a lot.
Twitter: Jackh1092
Hindsight is 20/20 so make the most of it!It’s going on SkyGo Jack, that and HD big positives for me.
Sky have been supported ATR for years no? They’re just going the next step and re-branding it and pushing some money it’s way to coincide with their push of SS F1, SS Golf etc.
How they promote the racing and who with now will be interesting as it’s going to be officed in the SS main offices it seems and more ‘cross-channel’ promo is being touted.
RUK will always be a fair bit ahead as they have the JCR courses which in reality are the ones with the big meeting 99% of the year, but hopefully Sky can help gain more viewership and maybe sponsorship etc. to the lower levels of racing.
SSR promises to be an improvement on ATR, if it is I would consider some kind of online Sky Sports subscription. Especially, as a Jumps fan, if SSR acquires the non-terrestrial rights to Ascot which I think it will. Being able to watch good Jumps meetings live from that track, Chepstow, Newcastle, Doncaster, Uttoxeter, etc would complement RUK’s coverage nicely.
I reckon SSR’s medium-term aim is to compete with ITV, etc when the next terrestrial rights deal comes up for tender. All or a large part of mainstream racing coverage disappearing from the traditional channels would be bad news for the sport because interest in it, particularly amongst potential new, young viewers, would decline, as it has in respect of cricket.
As a RUK subscriber, from a Jumps perspective, the loss of Bangor is inconsequential and that of Chester welcome because the desertion of the two courses will afford more space for Irish racing over the sticks. The disappearance of Ascot, though, would be a blow and if it lands I’d suggest RUK would be unwise to increase its monthly charge for a good few years.
However, if I were a Flat devotee confronted by the loss of Chester and Ascot I would be seriously considering cancelling my sub to RUK.
Yes they have i think, but either way now its under their brand, they will more than likely take it more seriously and also improve things within ATR to bring in to the “sky” level. (hopefully)
Agree viewership and sponsorship are two major positives.
I would say if they are taking this over, they will want to compete with RUK and not be “second best” for long.
Twitter: Jackh1092
Hindsight is 20/20 so make the most of it!I am currently not subscribing to either dedicated channel although I have been a longterm subscriber to both in the past and until last year. At the moment work commitments and location mean getting value from subscriptions is difficult.
I also deliberately removed my Sky subscription on what were, in effect, political grounds.Not had a major impact on my lifestyle but one thing I have noticed is that some sports where I previously had an interest, namely Cricket, Golf and Rugby League, and viewed via my Sky subscription have become dead to me and I have subsequently neglected to follow them through other available channels.
I think this experience/action is not uncommon and highlights the danger of paywall barriers. The replacement of ITV terrestrial with Sky would require a long hard think by the rights holders.
I think other factors such as ability to advertise gambling products (Bookmakers) on terrestrial television will in the end be the deciding factor on the destination of TV rights.I doubt there will be another round of terrestrial bids, and I’m not sure what the legalities would be in tracks trying to sell to Sky the fixtures that had historically been terrestrial.
If all the festivals, for example, were packaged and sold to Sky, how much would that damage RUK’s subscriber income?
I think Chester’s reason for swapping is a bit off saying they don’t get priority on a Saturday I am sure they get their own meeting on itv4 and itv I can understand that they would get priority on Sky Sports Racing on a Saturday but it seems they are ready to jump to any channel who will give them top billing.
Slightly condisending to say after 14 years with RUK we don’t like that you give other meetings a bigger billing if that is the case then make Chester & Bangor more marketable.
I bet the Irish authorities & Chelmsford must be banging their heads on the walls losing a lucrative free slot on Sky Sports for a rival pay channel maybe if this had happened a year ago Sky would have retained both of them.
I can see the big loser in this being SIS in 4 years Sky don’t need SIS anymore they have the power of Sky now and when SIS come around to having a cosy chat about continuing the picture coverage for RUK in a few years the price they can offer to RUK will have to have fallen as they won’t be able to say we are going back to the other side.
I suspect Ascot will announce their decision after Royal Ascot I wonder if RUK will be as amicable to Chester & Bangor for the rest of the years as ATR has been to Irish Racing or if they will just show the races and not bother broadcasting live from the courses.
Just read on Twitter that RUK have announced all the other courses they have except Ascot have now re-signed to RUK so there will be no other courses changing channels in the foreseeable future despite some rumours Sky were going after other courses.
There was a rumour of York moving but RUK said there courses had signed and had considered Sky’s offering as well.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.