NBC Sports Group Signs Multiyear Deal for More Horse Racing

STAMFORD: NBC Sports Group has reached a multiyear agreement for exclusive U.S. media rights to the Royal Meeting in Ascot, Berkshire, England, beginning in 2017.

NBCSN will present live coverage of the mid-June event for five consecutive days (Tuesday to Saturday) for at least 3.5 hours each day. All coverage will be streamed on NBC Sports Live Extra, NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, tablets and connected TVs.

Royal Ascot is one of the world’s most valuable horse racing events. NBC Sports Group’s Royal Ascot coverage will complement its exclusive, long-term media agreements for all of the Triple Crown races—Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes—and the Breeders’ Cup.

“We are excited to work with Royal Ascot to bring to the U.S. audience live coverage of an event that the millions of Americans who enjoy our Triple Crown and Breeders’ Cup telecasts will be sure to enjoy,” said Jon Miller, the president of programming for NBC Sports and NBCSN.

“This agreement with NBCUniversal will allow us to bring Royal Ascot to a mainstream American audience—one that will gravitate to the racing to watch its best horses take on ours, and indeed those more interested in fashions and uniquely British pageantry,” said Juliet Slot, commercial director at Ascot. “We are thrilled to be announcing this today and will be working with NBC on site this year so that they can plan to bring the best of British to America.”