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Racing Victoria has announced that Channel 78 will go live from Friday 26th June – meaning Victorian races will be now be broadcast into Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth on free-to-air.
While the official showcase coverage will not begin until August 29, Seven West Media will start the test period tomorrow for five weeks – retransmitting the Racing.com broadcast to assist fans during the Sky News blackout.
The premium coverage will begin on Memsie Stakes Day and will showcase races, previews, interviews and replays of the 520 Victorian thoroughbred races each year.
For now, Channel 78 will only be available on free-to-air television but Racing Victoria intends to eventually roll it out onto Foxtel for punters’ convenience.
Regional viewers however, will still be without a solution during the black-out,
“This broadcast won’t reach all markets in the test period. There will be people in regional areas that cannot access the interim re-transmission of Racing.com on Channel 78. We’ll continue to work with Seven West Media on extending the coverage to regional areas as soon as possible” RV Chief Executive Bernard Saundry said.
“Punters, fans and participants in regional areas should be assured that they are an important part of Seven West Media’s broadcast plans for its showcase coverage once officially launched.
Discussions between Tabcorp and Racing Victoria have recommenced after Tabcorp made the decision to stop broadcasting Victorian races on the Sky Network (Channel 519 and 520) as a result of the RV Board’s resolution to pursue a broadcasting deal with Seven West Media.
They remain ongoing, however, and it is not known when Victorian thoroughbred races will return to Sky.
Racing.com has provided a summary of viewing options, see below:
From Friday, 26 June 2015 until otherwise advised, Victorian racing can be viewed via the following:
Free-to-air TV: Channel 78 in Melb, Syd, Bris, Adel, Perth*
Pubs & Clubs: Metro/suburban pubs and clubs who tune into Channel 78**
TAB Agencies: 92 Victorian TAB retail agencies (those not in a pub or club)
Mobile Phones: Racing.com, sportsbet.com.au***, crownbet.com.au***
Tablets (iPads): Racing.com, sportsbet.com.au***, crownbet.com.au***
Desktop Computers: Racing.com, sportsbet.com.au***, crownbet.com.au***
Mobile App: Racing.com
(* Channel 78 interim broadcast to commence Friday, 26 June 2015)
(** Consult your local pub or club from Friday, 26 June 2015)
(*** Service available to Sportsbet and CrownBet account holders only)
There is one small consideration. The broadcast will be in MPEG-4. Traditionally, broadcasts are in MPEG-2 format. Not all television sets are compatible with MPEG-2.
Some early digital TV and set-top boxes may be unable to receive MPEG-2 – most Australian digital TV equipment less than 10 years old should support MPEG-4, including any devices with the Freeview logo.
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