Boylesports signs 1m horse racing media deal
Irish bookie to sponsor RTÃ's racing coverage across TV, radio and online for next two years
Boylesports has struck an exclusive multi-platform deal to sponsor Irish media company RTÃ’s entire horse racing coverage with the bookmaker investing a “seven-figure” sum to secure the contract.
The two-year agreement, which was announced yesterday, will see Boylesports feature prominently across all RTÃ racing coverage on TV, radio and online at RTÃ.ie.
As part of the deal, RTÃ and Boylesports will develop “innovative integrations” between live television and mobile applications to assist viewers watching racing while multi-tasking through mobile devices.
The operator’s branding will also appear on RTÃ Television’s in-vision split-screen advertisements across all of RTÃ’s Irish racing coverage.
Boylesports CEO John Boyle (pictured) said the agreement underlined the operator’s commitment to Irish racing with the firm having been title sponsor of this year’s Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse.
“We already sponsor many of Ireland’s most significant racing fixtures but to continue to be successful those fixtures must benefit from broadcast coverage,” Boyle said.
“That is why this partnership is important, not only for RTÃ and Boylesports, but for the future of Irish racing,” he added.
RTÃ Television broadcasts 24 days of live Irish racing coverage each year including action from major festivals such as Punchestown and Galway and also covers key UK meetings including the Aintree Grand National and the Cheltenham Festival.
“Irish racing remains on terrestrial free-to-air television and Boylesports has secured a powerful association with Irish racing across all of RTÃ’s market-leading platforms – RTÃ Television, RTÃ Radio and RTÃ.ie,” Dermot Rigley, RTÃ Sport commercial manager, said.
Earlier this year, Boylesports launched a revamped website which the operator said had been designed to put in-play betting “at the heart” of the customer experience.