BBC to Cut Back on Racing

01/02/2009		BBC to Cut Back on Racing
Home History Games News Dictionary		The online bookmaking community is really quite upset over the British Broadcasting Corporation’s (BBC) proposal to severely limit its coverage of UK racing in the future. Though only speculation is available at this point as to why the BBC would want to half the racing coverage, the effects on online gambling as well as other industries cannot be disputed. Bookmakers are vehemently against the suggestion, and have begun to take action to stop the proposal in its tracks. This movement is by and large headed by online bookmaker power and major name William Hill plc, with CEO Ralph Topping standing as their voice. His arguments against the BBC’s want of dropping racing coverage from 29 days in 2008 to a mere 14 days of broadcasting by 2010 are admittedly bias, as William Hill’s online customers enjoy the excitement of placing their bets and watching the races unfold. According to the UK Guardian newspaper, Topping is partnering with top jockey Tony McCoy to submit a plea to the chairman of the BBC Trust, asking Sir Michael Lyons to help them stop the change. The submission for assistance was largely in part republished in the Guardian article. Topping writes that though he is acting primarily in the interests of William Hill, the diminishing coverage would have a negative effect on other areas as well. “The Corporation's coverage also encourages significant economic activity, whereby many companies sponsor race meetings and races and, indeed, it is one of the paramount considerations in the decision to sponsor,” he writes. “We appreciate that the BBC has to exercise choice over what sports it chooses to televise, but there is no doubt that it has a large and loyal following for racing and a long and proud tradition of covering the sport, which are set to be discarded.” According to the new schedule, the racing sector that will suffer the most is set to be jump racing, which would have no broadcasting at all for the full six months between October and April.

01/02/2009

BBC to Cut Back on Racing

The online bookmaking community is really quite upset over the British Broadcasting Corporation’s (BBC) proposal to severely limit its coverage of UK racing in the future. Though only speculation is available at this point as to why the BBC would want to half the racing coverage, the effects on online gambling as well as other industries cannot be disputed. Bookmakers are vehemently against the suggestion, and have begun to take action to stop the proposal in its tracks.

This movement is by and large headed by online bookmaker power and major name William Hill plc, with CEO Ralph Topping standing as their voice. His arguments against the BBC’s want of dropping racing coverage from 29 days in 2008 to a mere 14 days of broadcasting by 2010 are admittedly bias, as William Hill’s online customers enjoy the excitement of placing their bets and watching the races unfold. According to the UK Guardian newspaper, Topping is partnering with top jockey Tony McCoy to submit a plea to the chairman of the BBC Trust, asking Sir Michael Lyons to help them stop the change.

The submission for assistance was largely in part republished in the Guardian
article. Topping writes that though he is acting primarily in the interests of William Hill, the diminishing coverage would have a negative effect on other areas as well. “The Corporation's coverage also encourages significant economic activity, whereby many companies sponsor race meetings and races and, indeed, it is one of the paramount considerations in the decision to sponsor,” he writes. “We appreciate that the BBC has to exercise choice over what sports it chooses to televise, but there is no doubt that it has a large and loyal following for racing and a long and proud tradition of covering the sport, which are set to be discarded.”

According to the new schedule, the racing sector that will suffer the most is set to be jump racing, which would have no broadcasting at all for the full six months between October and April.