Royal Ascot to air in 180+ territories
June 17, 2024
The 2024 Royal Meeting, taking place from June 18th to June 22nd, is set to be carried by over 30 broadcasters showcasing the event in 180 territories. A jewel in the crown of international horse racing, the event attracts significant broadcaster interest, with HBA Media delivering coverage on behalf of Ascot Racecourse.
In their eighth year as the host broadcaster, ITV Racing will present coverage live from Ascot Racecourse in daily five-hour programmes from 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 has acquired the rights for the first time, bringing the Royal Meeting to audiences on SportsNet.
Channel 9, the Australian 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.”
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.”