Channel 4 Sport’s horse racing division has hired its first PR
agency, The Market Racing Agency, to promote its coverage of the
sport.
The quality of Channel 4’s horse racing coverage helped it win exclusive
rights earlier this year to cover home test cricket matches, previously
held by the BBC.
The agency was appointed last week to the consumer account, without a
competitive pitch, to target coverage in the specialist and national
media. The contract is for a year.
Channel 4 has exclusive TV rights to all five English flat racing
classics including the Derby, which is held at Epsom in June. The
channel also has exclusive rights to the biggest national hunt racing
festival, held at Cheltenham in March.
The BBC still covers the Grand National, the Royal meeting at Ascot and
the Goodwood Festival in Sussex.
’Our brief is to make sure the viewing public are aware of what Channel
4 is showing,’ said Nick Boyd, director at The Market Racing Agency.
