ITV Racing announces additional summer fixture and plans for Royal Ascot week

ITV Racing is to add an additional fixture to its racing schedule by covering Newcastle’s Stobart Energy Raceday evening fixture on Friday 29 June.

This follows on the back of the success of broadcasting Sandown’s Brigadier Gerard evening card on 24 May on ITV4 and will also mean racing will benefit from a rest day during the busy FIFA World Cup schedule.

Mark Demuth, Controller of ITV Sport, Production, said:

“We were delighted with how well the Sandown fixture was received and adding Newcastle in among our ITV coverage of FIFA World Cup matches will mean that we can cross promote racing even more.”

Following on from the highest number of viewers since 2013 watching ITV’s coverage of the Investec Derby at the weekend, so far in 2018 ITV Racing’s audience figures for live race day coverage are up 9% year on year with an average audience figure of 550,000 across both its main channel and ITV4.

Breaking down the figures, ITV is up 4% year on year with an average audience of 882,000 with ITV4 growing at 20% up to a 325,000 average (which of course does not include major race days that are usually on ITV).

As Royal Ascot approaches, ITV also confirms that it is bringing its Senior Live Director, Paul McNamara, back from the FIFA World Cup for Royal Ascot week. Paul, who collected the BAFTA [Sport category] alongside lead presenter Ed Chamberlin and the team at Royal Festival Hall on 13 May, will be in the studio to direct the opening games of the FIFA World Cup in Russia but returns for the entire Royal Ascot week.

Every race from Ascot will be covered on either ITV or ITV4 daily from 1.30 to 6pm and the Opening Show, presented by Oli Bell, will be on ITV4 every day from 9.30 to 10.30am.

Johnny Murtagh will once again join the team to give his expert analysis for live racing, the popular social stable will be back, and the ITV fashion team will comprise the Good Morning Britain and Lorraine stars, Charlotte Hawkins and Mark Heyes, on hand every day to look at the fashion on show and with a line-up of different features planned across the week.

As a further support to the programme, specialist racing PR Liz Ampairee will become part of the ITV Racing team from Royal Ascot onwards across the key summer fixtures to support the presenters and the production team.

Ed Chamberlin said:“I am thrilled that the commitment and prominence of racing at ITV will be enhanced by having Paul McNamara back for Royal Ascot and the exciting programme we have planned for the week. I am equally thrilled that Liz is joining the team to enable us to spread the good news for racing as to what we’ve achieved so far and what we aim to do for racing in the future.”