Greyhound racing gets shot in the arm from new Entain and ARC JV

Entain has signed a long-term media rights deal with the Arena Racing Company (ARC) to provide a timely boost for the future of greyhound racing in the UK. The deal has established a landmark greyhound racing joint venture (JV) between the two companies, which runs through to 31 December 2029. The JV will lead to a single optimised UK greyhound racing schedule and will become the vehicle for licensing media rights to Entain and other betting operators from tracks from 1 January 2024. The JV will hold the long-term exclusive rights to greyhound content from 12 stadia owned by ARC (Newcastle, Nottingham, Perry Barr and Sunderland), as well as independent stadia within Greyhound Media Group (Kinsley, Sheffield, Swindon and Yarmouth) and those owned by Entain (Crayford, Hove, Monmore Green and Romford). The media rights agreement will deliver a range of horseracing and greyhound racing products for Entain’s retail and online channels across its Ladbrokes, Coral, Betdaq, bwin and Sportingbet brands. Both horse and greyhound media rights will be produced and distributed to the UK sector via The Racing Partnership (TRP) and into international markets by Arena Racing subsidiary Vermantia. The horseracing media rights element of partnership covers all UK, race day data and audio-visual coverage for races from ARC’s 16 UK racecourses, which include Doncaster, Newcastle, Chepstow and Lingfield Park. The deal also includes South African and Australian content and will commence on 1 January 2022. Adrian Bower, Entain chief procurement officer, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with ARC on such a comprehensive long-term deal that will give certainty to both parties for the benefit of both horseracing and greyhound racing, as well as helping them navigate the Covid challenges and emerge stronger when the world gets back to normal. “This is a progressive deal for greyhound racing that will deliver a sustainable programme going forward, support greyhound welfare and deliver more money into the sport. “This landmark deal supports Entain’s omni-channel strategy for its UK digital brands and emphasises the huge value we place on the horseracing and greyhound racing products. “We have been looking for a long-term deal that delivers benefits to both parties, allowing us to focus on navigating the immediate challenge of Covid, while generating greater value for all. “Ladbrokes and Coral are two of the biggest and longest standing investors in, and supporters of, horseracing and greyhound racing, and this significant commercial deal with ARC is just further proof of our support for these two great British sports,” he added.