Racing TV and Sky Sports Racing may be affected by new gambling bill

icdg

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121971037#Comment_121971037

The suggestion is that there’s no sound rationale to distinguish between horse racing and other sports in this regard, horse racing is not the only sport that bets are placed on.

Having the capacity to replace UK with Irish advertising doesn’t mean it can be done in all cases. That is not a cost free endeavour. There is a finite pot of buying available, a broadcaster has to weigh up the cost of additional satellite space, EPG charges etc and hope that the revenue they will attract will at least pay for the costs of offering the service. Despite this one consequence of this move is that this may be the spur for several channels that don’t currently have ROI advertising opt outs to launch them, I am thinking TNT Sports in particular, having seen several gambling adverts on it during this weeks FAPL midweek fixtures.

However it may also be the case that rather than turn down gambling adverts other broadcasters, who are not particularly targeting Ireland, will pull their services from Ireland entirely. This isn’t scaremongering, we saw this post Brexit when several UK broadcasters pulled their services from ROI EPGs rather than take out EU licenses because it didn’t pay for them to do so.

AJB39

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121968063#Comment_121968063

It’s been dropped from the schedule for this week due to the knock on effects on the schedule from the change in Taoiseach. I presume it’ll be back on the schedule for next week.

AJB39

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121995656#Comment_121995656

It’s not on the schedule for next week either.

roadmaster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122010817#Comment_122010817

Before you know it the dail will be on hoildays than when they come back they will be getting ready for an election and the gambling bill will be left to the next government

mike2084

Debate now scheduled for next Wednesday 24th April.

mike2084

Update on what may happen on Wednesday:

https://www.theirishfield.ie/racing/racing-news/news-minister-plans-gambling-bill-amendments-814649

(Should be readable - 5 free articles per month for all users)

mike2084

Apparently the TV broadcasting/advertising aspects of the bill will not be discussed tomorrow.

https://www.racingpost.com/news/ireland/no-change-to-controversial-betting-blackout-expected-as-gambling-regulation-bill-comes-before-government-afh4E2f4H8EK/

roadmaster

Its going to be very interesting to see how this plays out. Will james browne call the racing industrys bluff or will be end up with these stations geoblocked?

icdg

Having publicly said they will do withdraw from the Irish market they (Sky-ATR and RTV) kind of have to go through with it. Still don’t get how Sky Sports Golf merits an opt out on advertising revenue (and I am partial to a bit of the PGA Tour from time to time) but Sky Sports Racing doesn’t. I suspect it could be made work, but having made the threat they have to follow through with it.

roadmaster

This looks like it may actually happen.

https://www.racingpost.com/news/ireland/it-makes-no-sense-tds-call-for-gambling-regulation-bill-to-be-recommitted-in-fiery-debate-in-dail-eireann-aBi5d4Q0NmTM/

mike2084

Latest update in today's Irish Field

https://www.theirishfield.ie/racing/racing-news/news-racing-channels-remain-in-jeopardy-as-gambling-bill-nears-final-stages-815631

roadmaster

If the UK Channells do pull the plug will that leave a gap for Irish FTA channels to buy the rights to show the racing?

icdg

It could, I guess, if they are able to pull out of their existing deals, they could probably argue that this is an event outside their control which means that they could hand back the rights.

But who would pick them up? VMTV already don’t show all of the horse racing that’s available for them to show, as part of their deal for ITV Racing. What makes you think they would pick up more at this point?

Maybe the Irish side of what Racing TV have. Would cash strapped RTE be willing to pick up the day to day stuff for broadcast to a small audience during the day on weekdays, constrained by the same limitation on selling betting advertising? For TG4, the issue is they’d need to do their own presentation and commentary, and wouldn’t be able to rely on any “world feed” in that regard, because it would have to be in Irish. Again would the costs outweigh the benefits of mainly daytime programming to a small audience?

Unless Premier Sports, perhaps, might be interested and if they could make it work by simply relaying RTV (as Setanta did in the past - remember that giant full colour DOG to overlay over the RUK, as was, one?).

But either way, and discounting VMTV who already can’t show all the racing they have rights to, I can’t see any taker for the sheer breadth of what might come on the market if these channels go, and I imagine only a fraction of the more attractive meetings would be picked up.

mike2084

I doubt any Irish channel would pick them up, although TG4 do cover a lot of the meetings that RTÉ don't but again no FTA terrestrial type broadcaster is going to cover racing every day, there just isn't the demand for it outside of die hard enthusiasts.

Remember also Horse Racing Ireland are in a contract for pictures with SIS until 2027. SIS provide the pictures to RTV, so that would all have to be renegotiated. It doesn't affect SIS in betting shops as there is no advertising on it anyway. Bizarrely, it doesn't affect bookmakers streaming racing on their websites either, with many of them requiring you to place a bet first to watch a race.

roadmaster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122075399#Comment_122075399

there just isn't the demand for it outside of die hard enthusiasts.

I think what you said maybe why this bill will.maybe pass.