Racecourse Media Group (RMG), the parent company of Racing TV, is seeking talks with James Browne, the Minister of State at the Department of Justice, following a leaked email in which he stated a broadcasting exemption for horseracing would be “anti-competitive” and “not legally sustainable”.
In an email reported in the Irish Independent, Browne told his fellow Fianna Fail members that it would not be feasible to grant immunity from the proposed advertising ban between 5.30am and 9pm to subscription-based racing channels such as Racing TV and Sky Sports Racing
Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) had met with the junior minister the week before and had proposed such an exemption, but Browne stated this “would in effect give a monopoly on gambling advertising in the state to these two channels”.
RMG, which has secured exclusive media rights to broadcast from all 26 Irish tracks until 2029, requested a meeting with Browne earlier this year but a response was not forthcoming and the media group has again requested discussions.
An RMG spokesperson said: “We did initially write to Minister Browne and the Department of Justice in March and April to request a meeting, but we never received a response. We have again requested a meeting with Minister Browne and his officials to discuss Section 141 of the Gambling Regulation Bill and, in particular, the minister’s recent comments in the press on how making an exemption for a specialist racing channel to broadcast gambling advertising contravenes EU law.
“We’d welcome the opportunity to show how betting is inextricably linked to the sport and part of its narrative. We’d like to discuss a scenario whereby you can opt in to view gambling advertising on specialist channels, which you have to be 18 to subscribe to. This would be in line with what is being proposed online in the Bill and ensure there is consistency on all viewing platforms.”
Both Racing TV and Sky Sports Racing have stated that their product would become economically unviable should the bill be enacted in its current form and this point was reiterated by RMG, stating that advertisers outside the remit of gambling will not be able to replace bookmaker’s slots.
“Racing channels rely heavily on gambling advertising, and unfortunately there aren’t non-betting advertisers queuing up to replace them. If the Bill is passed without an exemption then it would just not be economically viable for the channel to continue broadcasting into Ireland in its current form. We have seen similar exemptions for racing channels in the UK and Australia.
“We wholeheartedly support the objectives of the Gambling Regulation Bill in protecting those at risk of harm, but TV coverage is the lifeblood of sports and we don’t want to see anything that may jeopardise the fantastic TV exposure horseracing enjoys in Ireland.
“We’d like to reassure our subscribers that we are working hard with Horse Racing Ireland in terms of finding a solution which works for the Oireachtas. At the same time, we feel consumers could have a major part to play in influencing the outcome and we really urge them to contact their local TD to express their concerns.”
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