ITV agrees new four-year deal to broadcast free-to-air coverage of British racing until the end of 2030

ITV Racing will continue to broadcast Britain's biggest meetings to a terrestrial audience after securing a four-year deal to show exclusive free-to-air coverage until the end of 2030.

The agreement, which begins in 2027, will extend ITV's position as racing's terrestrial broadcasting partner beyond ten years, and guarantees 117 days of live action a year across ITV1, ITV4 and STV, with all programming available on ITVX. The Opening Show, the Saturday morning preview programme, will also remain part of the package.

Broad agreement on an extension to the deal between racing and ITV, which has shown the sport since 2017 after taking over the rights from Channel 4, had been revealed by the Racing Post in July. It keeps racing free-to-air at a time when sports are increasingly moving to subscription-based broadcasters. 

The new contract covers racing's flagship events, including the Grand National, Royal Ascot, the Cheltenham Festival and the Derby, with a minimum of five races shown from each fixture on ITV4.

Niall Sloane, ITV’s director of sport, described the new deal as “vital” for the broadcaster and the sport, and said: “This ensures the very best fixtures across the UK are available free-to-air on ITV until 2030. We're proud to deliver so much live coverage of this incredible sport and would like to thank our partners as we look forward to continuing our relationship."

ITV Racing's coverage has been recognised for its quality, with Bafta awards in 2018 and 2024, while presenters Ed Chamberlin and Francesca Cumani won the Broadcast Sports Presenter of the Year prize at the 2019 British Sports Journalism Awards.

Viewing figures have remained strong in 2025, with the Grand National attracting a peak audience of 5.2 million, Royal Ascot reaching five million viewers across its five days, and the Cheltenham Festival hitting a four-year high of 1.8 million on Gold Cup day this year. The Derby also achieved its biggest audience for two years in June, peaking at 1.3 million.

Brant Dunshea, acting chief executive of the BHA, said: “This is excellent news for British racing. ITV have shown themselves to be first-class broadcast partners, not only in terms of the quality of their coverage but in bringing more racing to mainstream terrestrial audiences."

ITV Racing will broadcast British racing's biggest events until at least 2030

The continuation of ITV covering the sport was welcomed by the main racecourse groups in Britain, as the sport pursues audience growth through its nationwide marketing campaign, The Going Is Good, and its consumer research initiative, Project Beacon. The second edition of the Champions: Full Gallop docuseries is set to air on ITV during October.

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.”

The scope of ITV’s coverage of racing was highlighted by David Leyden Dunbar, Arena Racing Company’s director of commercial strategy. He said: “ITV Racing continues to offer our sport a fantastic shop window. British horseracing is the envy of many other sports, benefiting from such high-quality terrestrial coverage for 117 days a year. 

“This new deal will cement a 14-year relationship and we very much look forward to working with the ITV Racing team to bring our biggest and best events into millions of homes.”

Nick Mills, Racecourse Media Group chief executive, said: “On behalf of our racecourses, we are thrilled to extend our partnership with ITV for a further four years. British racing 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.”

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