Racing UK shows indie channels can thrive

UK: Live horseracing from 30 of the UK’s top tracks is now available in 75 JD Wetherspoon pubs, following a recent deal between the pub operator and Racing UK TV, taking its total number of pub and club customers to 3500.

With the Jumps season around the corner, showpiece events such as The Open and International meetings from Cheltenham, Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup meeting (Winter Festival) from Newbury and the Tingle Creek Christmas Festival from Sandown will all be shown, along with the climax of the Flat racing season, British Champions Day at Ascot on October 15.

Interest in Racing UK was initially sparked after the channel sent a racing whip to JDW Chairman Tim Martin, which subsequently led to a successful six-month trial of the channel in Wetherspoon’s Liquorice Gardens pub in Worksop.

The deal with JDW illustrates Racing UK’s strong growth with more than 3,500 pubs and clubs in the UK and Ireland now showing the channel.

Nick Mills, Commercial Director of Racing UK, said: “We are delighted to add such a major player as JD Wetherspoon to our portfolio of pubs.

“Horseracing has a tradition of bringing communities together and is proven to attract business during the quieter times, such as the afternoons and early evenings, and the partnership looks an excellent fit.”

JDW spokesman Eddie Gershon added: “We’re confident that our customers will welcome the addition of horseracing through Racing UK in a number of our pubs.”

As an independent sports channel, Racing UK doesn’t require a Sky subscription and is not reliant on any other service. It therefore claims to offer pubs and clubs a cost-effective service to show a high volume of coverage.