TVG inks deal with Keeneland and Del Mar

9/30/2011 11:24 AM  | drf.com
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Television Games Network, the horseracing broadcaster and account-wagering company, has re-signed Keeneland Racecourse and Del Mar Thoroughbred Club to exclusive television agreements through 2016 and has begun asking tracks to commit to high-definition broadcasts as part of a push to get an HD channel slot on satellite and cable networks, TVG officials said on Thursday.

As part of the agreements with TVG, Keeneland and Del Mar will each receive a seat on a committee that TVG is forming to explore the pursuit of the HD channel slots, which are prized territory on broadcast networks. TVG is currently available in 36 million homes on both major satellite networks and a variety of local cable networks, but the channel is only available in standard definition on all of those systems.


So far, only one TVG track, Keeneland, has made the investments necessary to broadcast in HD. Stephen Burn, TVG’s chief executive, said Thursday that TVG will begin to survey racetracks over the next several weeks about their willingness to invest in HD equipment, at which point the network will decide whether to aggressively pursue an HD slot. HD equipment can easily cost a track millions of dollars.
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