Racing Post and Racing UK launch ground-breaking broadband betting venture

The Racing Post, the leading racing and sports betting newspaper owned by Trinity Mirror plc, and Racing UK, the UK's premier horseracing channel, today announced the launch of a pioneering broadband betting site (www.thebettingsite.co.uk) and 3G mobile phone service, creating the UK's only 'one stop' on-line betting site and allowing British horse racing fans to watch live racing, including major events such as the Grand National, Cheltenham Gold Cup and Epsom Derby, via the internet or mobile phone.

The Betting Site, which is a joint venture between British horse racing's two pre-eminent media brands, has merged Racing Post's unrivalled bank of form, data and analysis with live coverage from 31 of the UK's leading racecourses that own Racing UK. The site will offer odds comparisons from nine different bookmakers and betting exchanges, form analysis, tips, and jockey colours. As well as being able to watch live action from over 4,000 races a year, users will be able to search for archive video clips by horse, jockey, or trainer from a searchable bank of footage from the last ten years.

Punters will be able to place bets, without leaving the site, with one of the venture's five partner bookmakers, Bet 365, Blue Square, Ladbrokes, The Tote and VCBet, and uniquely, will be able to watch live racing on a 'bet to view' basis when placing a minimum £5 bet with one of the five bookmakers. Alternatively, racing fans will be able to watch live racing by subscribing to thebettingsite.co.uk's online streaming service for just £15 per month (existing Racing UK TV subscribers will be entitled to a discount and will pay just £5 per month), or by pay-per-view for just £1 per race.

In addition to the best horse racing content, thebettingsite.co.uk features best of breed technology and functional, easy to navigate design. The venture has been developed in conjunction with Premium TV, the leading digital facilities company, to give users the best possible viewing and betting experience with the highest quality available.  The video streaming used on the site will offer users a premium solution with a choice of streams at 350 kbps or 700 kbps.

As part of the joint venture a new 3G mobile service is also being launched, streaming live racing from Racing UK's 31 courses, including the likes of Aintree, Cheltenham and Epsom, to 3G mobile users.  The service will initially be rolled out on the Vodafone and Three UK networks.  The move is the first step in The Betting Site's broader strategy to create a mobile product that integrates video, data and betting functionality in one easy to use application, replicating the broadband internet experience. Both The Betting Site's broadband site and 3G service will benefit from valuable cross-promotion from Racing UK's TV channel and in the pages of the Racing Post.

This joint venture between Racing UK and the Racing Post follows a successful trial partnership in April for a dedicated Grand National broadband site. The site, which included analysis and form from the Racing Post alongside live and archive video footage of the Grand National from Racing UK, recorded an impressive 2.4 million page impressions from over 157,000 unique users.

Racing UK is wholly owned by 31 of the UK's top racecourses and is a ground-breaking venture by a sports rights holder to own and market its media rights. Leading racetracks involved in the venture include Aintree, Cheltenham, Epsom, Goodwood, Newbury, Newmarket, and York. The channel, which was launched in May 2004 following the collapse of attheraces, has proved a great success, attracting over 35,000 subscribers.

Simon Bazalgette, Executive Chairman of Racing UK said:

"We believe The Betting Site is the most exciting broadband project in the sports sector, and means that the crown jewels of British racing, including the Grand National, Gold Cup and Derby can now be watched live on the internet or via mobile phone.

"Our partnership with the Racing Post is a powerful combination of video and data which will allow horseracing punters to study form, view live races and bet all through one website. We believe the combined 'must have' factors of the Racing Post's unrivalled form database, website functionality and brand, and Racing UK's quality coverage from the UK's leading racecourses will prove extremely popular with horse racing fans and punters.

"Racing UK was established by 31 of the UK's leading race courses to manage a range of media rights across all platforms, not just the television channel.  The launch of The Betting Site not only demonstrates how horseracing continues to be at the forefront of new technological developments in managing media rights but also represents another major step towards maximising the value of racing's media rights for the benefit of the sport as a whole."

The Racing Post and its website www.racingpost.co.uk - market leaders in the provision of horseracing and sports betting information - are part of Trinity Mirror's portfolio of high-profile sports brands.

Jeremy Reed, Managing Director of the Racing Post, said:

"The ever-increasing number of broadband users in the UK is fuelling rapid growth in online betting turnover on horseracing. These revenues are now thought to exceed £500 million per annum, and our partnership with Racing UK will enable us to make further inroads into this exciting market.

"The Betting Site will be a key destination for online punters, complementing the Racing Post's leading positions in racing and sports betting media.

"Furthermore, we will soon be expanding the 3G mobile offering and covering overseas horse racing."