By Melissa Kasule

ITV has secured the exclusive rights free to air coverage of UK horse racing in an extended deal till the end of 2026.

The renewed three-year deal includes coverage of UK racing’s Crown Jewel events with the Grand National, the Cheltenham Festival, Royal Ascot and the Derby.

ITV has aired the UK racing on its channels since 2017, ITV1 and ITV4 will broadcast 100 days of live coverage of the races along with the morning racing programme The Opening Show.

ITV director of Sport, Niall Sloane said: “This deal will take us to a decade of racing on ITV and we’re delighted to be able to continue to bring to viewers well over 100 days of live coverage of this wonderful sport, including some of the most enjoyable, storied and thrilling events of each year.  We look forward to continuing to work with Racecourse Media Group and our other partners within racing to bring audiences the very best racing has to offer in the coming years.”

CEO of Racecourse Media Group, Martin Stevenson added: “On behalf of our racecourses, we are delighted to have cemented our relationship with ITV for a further three years. ITV have been an excellent partner for the sport, providing more terrestrial coverage here in the UK than in any other racing jurisdiction in the world, illustrating both the commitment of the broadcaster and the enduring popularity of the sport.”