Irish media rights row rumbles on but breakaway group says it won't leave AIR

The breakaway group of five Irish racecourses who have expressed their dissatisfaction at the way media rights money is set to be distributed have no intention of leaving the Association of Irish Racecourses (AIR) despite the feud. 

United Irish Racecourses (UIA), which consists of Kilbeggan, Limerick, Roscommon, Sligo and Thurles, believes Horse Racing Ireland is in breach of its powers. One of the main points of contention is over how much money HRI gets for providing data in relation to daily runners and riders, with the UIA arguing that it should be taking no more than two per cent of the pre-race data income from the new deal, which commences in 2024.

It was announced in October that HRI's media rights committee had selected SIS and Racecourse Media Group (RMG) as its preferred partners for Irish racing's next five-year deal, which would include Racing TV retaining direct-to-home television rights until at least 2029.