IMG and HBA Media will produce 90-minute live show for international broadcasters

Saudi Cup horse racing HBA Media

Racing TV will air the Saudi Cup in the UK this weekend, 22 February. 

The $20 million (£15.85m) race, which will take place at the King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh, will be shown by 38 international broadcasters in total, including seven new broadcasters - Eurovision Sport in 30 European territories, Channel 7 in Australia, FanCode in India, SportsNet in Canada, Sport+ in Kazakhstan, WeDo Sports in five Southeast Asian territories, and D-Smart in Turkey. 

Distributed by HBA Media, the event’s principal broadcast package is a 90-minute live show co-produced by HBA alongside IMG. It is presented by Nick Luck, Michelle Yu, Tom Stanley, Oli Bell and Laffit Pincay, and will include the Group 2 Longines Red Sea Turf, before shifting focus to the main event - the Group 1 Saudi Cup - which is set to go off at 20:40 local time / 17:40 GMT.  The coverage will be enhanced with fan engagement tool and predictor game CJRFantasy, and a variety of lifestyle, cultural and racing-related features.

Saudi Cup broadcasters

North & South America, Caribbean: FOX Sports (US), FanDuel (US), ESPN/Disney+ (LATAM, Caribbean), Sportsnet (Canada).

Europe: Racing TV (UK), Virgin Media (Ireland), Rai (Italy), Polsat (Poland), Equidia (France), Viaplay (Netherlands, Scandinavia), Silknet (Georgia), CYTA (Cyprus), Setanta (Balkans/Eurasia), WeDo Sports (DACH), D-Smart (Turkey), Eurovision (30 European territories), EQUTV (Italy).

Asia Pacific: Channel 7 (Australia), Sky Racing (Australia), FanCode (India), Green Channel and Netkeiba (Japan), WeDo Asia (South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia), Sport+ (Kazakhstan) and HKJC (Hong Kong).

Africa and MENA: DMI (MENA), SSC (KSA), SuperSport (53 African territories)

Global: Sport24 (11 Airlines), Reuters (News), TransWorld Sport (Magazine show)

Chris Bevan, chief commercial officer for the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia, said: “The aim of this event since it began in 2020 was to create a truly international celebration of top-quality racing and we are delighted to see that he Saudi Cup remains an attractive product for global broadcasters.”

Frank Sale, chief executive of HBA Media, said: “It’s an honour to collaborate with the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia and witness the remarkable growth and enthusiasm for horse racing in the Kingdom and for their headline race globally.

“Our longstanding partnership with the Saudi Cup, since its inception, enables HBA Media to maximise commercial opportunities for the federation, and we are delighted to report an expansive broadcast reach with 38 international outlets and major sports networks showcasing the highly competitive event across approximately 170 territories.

“As always, HBA will be on-site for the duration of the meeting, and we look forward to continuing our support for this prestigious sporting spectacle.”