The Racing Channel was a British subscription television channel which used to extensively cover horse racing

Horse racing

Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...

. It ran between 1995 and its closure in January 2003.

The Racing Channel was produced and transmitted by Satellite Information Services (SIS)

Satellite Information Services

Satellite Information Services is a company which provides news gathering services and broadcasts events such as Horse Racing and Greyhound Racing, as well as Lottery games such as Rapido and 49's, to betting shops in the United Kingdom and Ireland and other Worldwide destinations.It was formed in...

 direct to the home through Sky and cable television. Originally it was a high premium stand-alone channel costing £19.99 per month and was the first single-sport channel in the world. It did at one time attract 35,000 subscribers In November 2000, the rights in the channel reverted to the Race Course Association (RCA), with SIS continuing to produce and transmit the channel on a commercial basis for the Association. The channel was subsequently sold to The Racing Network International (TRNI) who took the decision to close the channel in January 2003.

Demise

In 2001, BSkyB, Channel 4 and Arena Leisure (owners of 6 UK courses) signed a lucrative £307 million deal with 49 of the 59 UK racecourses for a 10 year period. This meant that the Racing Channel lost many of its top courses and was left with just 10 meetings. The 10 courses did not feature any of the major meetings, and at this point the subscription fee was dropped and the channel was available more generally to Sky Digital

Sky Digital (UK & Ireland)

Sky is the brand name for British Sky Broadcasting's digital satellite television and radio service, transmitted from SES Astra satellites located at 28.2° east and Eutelsat's Eurobird 1 satellite at 28.5°E. The service was originally launched as Sky Digital, distinguishing it from the original...

 subscribers. Nonetheless, the channel was clearly no longer viable.

At the time of its closure it had the contracts to cover meetings at ten of the minor courses in the country; Exeter, Fakenham, Hexham, Kelso, Leicester, Perth, Sedgefield, Stratford, Taunton and Towcester - all of which became part of At The Races

At the Races

At The Races is a British television channel, originally co-founded with Channel 4, but now owned by a partnership between British Sky Broadcasting, Arena Leisure Plc and 30 UK racecourses....

 portfolio of courses.

See also

• At The Races
  At the Races
  At The Races is a British television channel, originally co-founded with Channel 4, but now owned by a partnership between British Sky Broadcasting, Arena Leisure Plc and 30 UK racecourses....
  
   - channel which features 28 UK racecourses, including the 10 from the Racing Channel.
• Racing UK
  Racing UK
  Racing UK Limited was launched as a subscription channel in 2004 with 30 racecourses as shareholders. As Racing UK grew several other business units and joint ventures were developed....
  
  - a premium subscription channel featuring meetings from the other 31 UK racecourses.