'It was a very unusual statement' - rebel racecourse group say they'd prefer less money for more exposure on Sky

Members of the cross-party agriculture committee say they were left stunned when representatives of the rebel United Irish Racecourses (UIR) group told them in a sitting on Wednesday evening that they are prepared to take less money from a potential new media rights deal in preference for the extra exposure they might get from their fixtures being broadcast on Sky Sports Racing. 

At the committee sitting in the Oireachtas, representatives from the UIR tracks – Thurles, Kilbeggan, Limerick, Roscommon and Sligo – also suggested a mediator be appointed having eschewed a €47 million-a-year deal that was negotiated by Horse Racing Ireland’s media rights committee with the existing rights holders, Sports Information Systems (SIS) and Racecourse Media Group (RMG). That deal means pictures from the other 21 tracks will continue to be behind a secondary paywall on Racing TV.

UIR has described the deal as inequitable and insist that HRI takes a disproportionate slice of the media rights revenue and that the deal favours larger tracks.