31st October 2022 - The world-renowned Lexus Melbourne Cup will be shown in every major continent with 20 broadcasters bringing ‘the race that stops the nation’ to over 190 territories.
Taking place on Tuesday 1st November, a global audience will be serviced with a bespoke two-hour international programme that will capture the rich history of the event. There will be added focus on the strong international contingent of competitors that will descend on Flemington Racecourse for a shot at winning Australia’s most coveted racing event.
Six new networks have agreed deals to show the event in 2022. Amongst them are Eclat / SPOTV, the emerging key-player in the South-East Asian market, who will bring the event to 14 territories across the region. Virgin Media will serve audiences in Ireland and Sony Pictures Networks (SPN) bring the event to the Indian subcontinent for the first time. Sport24 will deliver the full-racecard to airlines and cruise ships and there are new deals with WasuTV (China) and WeDoTV (Germany, Switzerland, Austria).
Whilst the feature event remains at the forefront of Australian racing, the full four days that make up Melbourne Cup Carnival will be showcased in multiple continents. For the first time, live daily two-hour international programmes will be produced for Penfolds Derby Day, Kennedy Oaks Day and TAB Champions Day. FOX Sports will utilize the international programmes to bring the events into 70 million American homes. Similarly, SuperSport and SportsMax will showcase the full Carnival across Africa and the Caribbean respectively.
Strong European support has been maintained with Viaplay (Scandinavia), Polsat (Poland), Setanta (Eurasia and Baltics) and Kanal 75 (Sweden) broadcasting the Lexus Melbourne Cup live on their linear and digital networks. ESPN’s ongoing commitment to horseracing will see the race broadcast pan-regionally across South America. TSN will bring the event to fans in Canada, whilst Chinese fans will be able to watch on WasuTV.
DMI (Dubai) will continue their valued support of the event in the Middle East and ABC International will provide additional distribution across the Asia-Pacific Region. Every broadcaster will enjoy Carnival and Melbourne Cup preview and highlights programmes to bolster their content offering and adding significant value.
Dave Campbell, Executive General Manager – VRC Media at the Victoria Racing Club, said: “The VRC through our expanded VRC Media division have focused on building out a live and on-demand content platform that caters to our international broadcast partners. We are thrilled that this content strategy has ensured both the Lexus Melbourne Cup and the Melbourne Cup Carnival itself will have widespread coverage, bringing the unique colour and entertainment on and off the track to millions across the globe.”
Henry Birtles, Chief Executive of HBA Media, added: "We are delighted to have secured a significant distribution footprint for the Lexus Melbourne Cup. This year’s event represents our ninth year working hand-in-hand with the VRC to ensure that the race that stops a nation is seen across the world.
“It is a great asset to work with the VRC on delivering dedicated international programmes and superb supporting content to broadcasters. It is crucial that such a renowned sporting event commands significant global attention and we are proud of our collaborative effort that will bring this year’s Melbourne Cup to more fans, broadcasters and territories than ever before.”
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