Racing World was a spin-off service from Racing UK operated as a joint-venture with Magna Entertainment Corp. and Churchill Downs Incorporated, and broadcast horse racing coverage from the United States including such courses as Arlington Park and Churchill Downs.
 | |
| Ownership | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Racing UK, Magna Entertainment and Churchill Downs Incorporated (2006-2008) Setanta Sports (2008-2009) |
| Sister channels | Arsenal TV Celtic TV ESPN America LFC TV Racing UK Rangers TV Setanta Sports 1 Setanta Sports 2 Setanta Ireland Setanta Sports News |
| History | |
| Launched | 8 March 2006 |
| Closed | 24 August 2009 |
The channel ceased broadcasting in May 2008, and was taken over by Setanta Sports until closing down fully on 24 August 2009.
History
editOn 3 March 2006, Racing UK announced the launch of a sister service entitled Racing World.[1] The network would be a joint-venture with US horseracing companies Magna Entertainment Corp. and Churchill Downs Incorporated, and would feature Horseracing coverage from the United States. The channel fully launched on 8 March, and was broadcast on Sky Digital channel 433 from 5:30pm–1:00am, Wednesday-Monday. The channel was available to Racing UK customers at no extra cost, and was operated through Irish broadcaster Setanta Sports.
On August 17, Racing World alongside Racing UK became part of a merged subscription package with Setanta Sports' networks, allowing Setanta customers access to the channel and Racing World and Racing UK/Racing World subscribers access to Setanta's networks on all platforms.[2]
Closure
editIn May 2008, it was announced that Racing UK had axed the channel due to poor viewing figures and a niche market for US Horse Racing in the United Kingdom.[3][4] Setanta Sports shortly afterwards took over the slot of the network, functioning it as a barter/filler network under the Racing World name, akin to Arsenal Replay and AH.TV. The channel's broadcast hours were reduced to 12:00am–3:00am (later 11:00pm-2:00am), timesharing with the Commercial/Pub version of Setanta Sports 1. Most of the time, the channel's status varied; ranging from airing a test card for Setanta PPV2, simulcasting former sister channel Racing UK, or showcasing football matches and other sports from Setanta's other channels.[5]
On 23 June 2009, following financial difficulties and collapse into administration in the United Kingdom, Setanta Sports shuttered all their television networks.[6] Despite the closure, Racing World remained broadcasting as a free-to-air service.
On 11 July, Racing World broadcast a selection of UFC content from 9:00pm–5:00am. The channel broadcast all five episodes of the UFC's Top 100 Fights, then the UFC 100 countdown and then showed UFC 100 live to UK customers.[7]
On 24 August 2009, the channel was removed from the Sky EPG.[8]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "- Press Releases". Archived from the original on 23 May 2006.
- ^ "- Press Releases". Archived from the original on 29 May 2007.
- ^ https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/154157/cdi-mec-pull-out-of-racing-world-uk
- ^ "Racing World Scrapped". 4 May 2008.
- ^ "Racing World Channel". 29 August 2008.
- ^ Setanta goes off air in Great Britain Digital Spy, 23 June 2009
- ^ "UFC® : Ultimate Fighting Championship®". Archived from the original on 12 July 2009. Retrieved 9 July 2009.
- ^ "SKY Channels, etc; ..Week#33 - Page 2". 21 August 2009.
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