Horse racing was one of the first sports to restart in the UK after the lockdown, and looking at the TV viewing figures, it seems to have taken advantage of the empty playing field.
The figures for three of the biggest events in the racing calendar (the 2,000 Guineas, Royal Ascot, and the Derby) shows that TV ratings have ranged from 11% and 94% higher this year. What is most encouraging for the racing industry is that even as the rest of the sports and entertainment industry started to catch up, racing has maintained above average performance.
The largest improvement in viewing figures was the 2,000 Guineas: nearly 1.5m watched the race on TV this year compared to around 750,000 in 2019 (a 94% increase). The race was run on 6 June, so the competition was limited mainly to snooker and the Bundesliga, so it is not surprising that the figures were so high as people were looking for sport to watch (and bet on).
Royal Ascot traditionally has a lower viewing figure as it takes place mainly during the week, but it was still 14% up on last year. Most importantly their Saturday fixture, which coincided with the Premier League restart on daytime TV, still showed a healthy 11% increase.
The Derby is the highlight of the racing calendar and this time around it faced competition not just from the Premier League, but also the re-opening of bars and restaurants in England and Northern Ireland. Despite these distractions, the race managed 2.3m viewers, up 31% on the previous years.
What happens next?
The big question for racing is what happens next? The late start to the season had created a frenetic period when the early season calendar was condensed into a few weeks and the big races just kept coming. Now this feast is over and most of the marquee events have passed, will racing be able to maintain the interest of viewers who have more and more alternative options available?
Hopefully, the racing coverage will have created new fans who continue to watch at least the big days. While a typical Saturday racing on TV may struggle to maintain the audience, it will be interesting to see how events like Glorious Goodwood, the Ebor Festival, and Champions Day compare with last year.
At the end of the season it would be useful to study the figures for the season in detail and see what lessons can be learnt. In particular, is it the product that racing can offer, or the actions of other sports/activities that had the most influence on TV ratings?
Sport.dat 