ITV has agreed a new four-year deal with Racecourse Media Group (RMG), Ascot and Arena Racing Company (ARC) to show exclusive free-to-air coverage of UK horse racing from 2027 until the end of 2030.
Some 117 days of live coverage will be shown across ITV1, ITV4, STV and STV Player – all simulcast on ITVX – along with the morning racing programme The Opening Show.
ITV Racing’s live coverage will continue to showcase the very best in the UK racing calendar. Events such as the Grand National, Royal Ascot, the Cheltenham Festival and the Derby all form part of the new deal. ITV will also include five races from the main site as a minimum for all the fixtures on ITV4.
ITV’s coverage of the horse racing has won two BAFTAs in 2018 and 2024, as well as Ed Chamberlin and Francesca Cumani winning the Broadcast Sports Presenter of the Year at the British Sports Journalism Awards in 2019 for their broadcasting on ITV.
- ITV Horse Racing is currently enjoying its best ever year on ITVX generating over 15 million streams. Other highlights from 2025 include:
- The Grand National provided ITV its biggest peak audience of Q2 with 5.2 million
- Five million viewers watched Royal Ascot across the five days it was on air, with viewing on the final day (Saturday) up by over 20% compared to last year
- The Cheltenham Festival saw its biggest peak audience for four years with a high of 1.8 million for the final day
- The Derby saw its biggest audience for two years peaking with 1.3 million
Niall Sloane, ITV director of sport, said: “This is a vital deal for ITV Sport and UK horse racing, ensuring the very best fixtures across the UK are available free-to-air on ITV until 2030. We are proud to deliver so much live coverage of this incredible sport and would like to thank Racecourse Media Group, The Jockey Club, Arena Racing Company, Ascot Racecourse and our other partners, and we look forward to continuing our relationship for years to come.”
Nick Mills, Racecourse Media Group CEO, said: “On behalf of our racecourses, we are thrilled to extend our partnership with ITV for a further four years. British horseracing will again receive extensive mainstream terrestrial television coverage across 117 days – an exceptional level of visibility that allows millions of racing fans to watch the best the sport has to offer. I’d like to thank ITV for their award-winning coverage and wholehearted commitment to this wonderful sport.”
Jim Mullen, The Jockey Club’s chief executive said: “The ITV Racing team continue to showcase our sport to racing fans and new audiences with the same passion and rigour they brought to our screens when their contract began back in 2017. We share their enthusiasm for telling the stories behind the stories, and for constantly exploring new and innovative ways to bring horseracing to life and into the homes of millions of people. Racing will benefit greatly from this extension and from the exposure that is guaranteed from 117 days of free to air coverage every year.”
Felicity Barnard, Ascot Racecourse chief executive, said: “It’s very good news that racing has agreed an extension with ITV. Their commitment, editorial expertise and production values are second to none and they are a superb partner to work with. We look forward to another period of innovation in broadcasting over the coming years.”
