Ladbrokes seals coverage deal with the Racing Partnership

Ladbrokes Coral has agreed a media rights deal with The Racing Partnership to increase the televised coverage of racing on owned and independent racecourses at its betting shops.

The deal was said to take effect immediately and ensured that Ladbrokes Coral's 3,820 betting shops in the UK and Ireland showed racing from 15 arena racing company owned racecourses and seven independent racecourses.

Coverage of South African racing was also included in the deal with Ladbrokes Coral, alongside streaming of TRP content from Coral and Betdaq and Ladbrokes.

According to Coral, the deal was based purely on a profit-shared model enabling itself and TRP to work together to grow betting on British racing, particularly in light of recent reforms of the horserace betting levy.

Ladbrokes Coral chief executive Jim Mullen said: "We are pleased to have struck a deal with The Racing Partnership which gives us a joint incentive to grow the sport. Horseracing is part of our heritage and, despite the vast choice of sports to bet on in the modern era, it remains a core product for our business, so it is a positive development that once again all our customers, in shops and online, can enjoy a full range of horseracing action.”

For his part, ARC chief executive, Martin Cruddace, said: “We are delighted to have agreed this deal with Ladbrokes Coral. It is testament to the symbiotic nature of racing and betting that we have been able to agree a deal based on sound commercial principles for both parties. I am very grateful for the patience and support of my shareholders. We look forward to working with everyone at Ladbrokes Coral as we move into a new era of collaboration and co-operation.”