ITV extends UK horse racing, Formula E rights
October 1, 2025
By Nik Roseveare
ITV has agreed a new four-year deal to show exclusive, free-to-air coverage of UK horse racing from 2027 until the end of 2030. Some 117 days of live coverage will be shown across ITV1, ITV4, STV and STV Player – all simulcast on ITVX – along with the morning racing programme The Opening Show.
Additionally, ITV has announced a new Formula E free-to-air broadcast deal for the UK and Ireland, extending their partnership for a further two years to cover Seasons 12 and 13, to 2027. The deal will extend the pre-existing agreement between the two that started in December 2024.
ITV Horse Racing’s live coverage will continue to showcase the key events in the UK racing calendar – such as the Randox Grand National, Royal Ascot, the Cheltenham Festival and the Betfred Derby – which all form part of the new deal. ITV will also include five races from the main site as a minimum for all the fixtures on ITV4.
Niall Sloane, ITV Director of Sport, said: “This is a vital deal for ITV Sport and UK horse racing, ensuring the very best fixtures across the UK are available free-to-air on ITV until 2030. We are proud to deliver so much live coverage of this incredible sport and would like to thank Racecourse Media Group, The Jockey Club, Arena Racing Company, Ascot Racecourse and our other partners, and we look forward to continuing our relationship for years to come.”
Nick Mills, Racecourse Media Group CEO, said: “On behalf of our racecourses, we are thrilled to extend our partnership with ITV for a further four years. British horseracing will again receive extensive mainstream terrestrial television coverage across 117 days – an exceptional level of visibility that allows millions of racing fans to watch the best the sport has to offer. I’d like to thank ITV for their award-winning coverage and wholehearted commitment to this wonderful sport.”
Meanwhile, the upcoming Season 12 (2025/6) of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship will be the largest in history, with 18 races across 12 global cities, with all qualifying sessions live on ITVX. All 18 live races will broadcast either on ITV4, with an ITVX simulcast, or exclusively on ITVX only, with more races shown on ITV4 than ever before in 2025/26. In the week following each race, a highlights show will air on ITV4. ITV will also be the home of the debut of the GEN4 car at the end of 2026.
The all-electric series’ record-breaking 12th season begins on December 6th in São Paulo. Calendar highlights include new races in Madrid and Miami’s International Autodrome, plus returning venues Berlin, Tokyo, and Shanghai, each hosting double-header race weekends. The season concludes once more in London, with a double-header at the Excel London on August 15th-16th 2026, that will round out the end of the GEN3 Evo era Formula E car, ahead of the championship’s all-new GEN4 car debut at the end of 2026.
Richard Botchway, Assistant Commissioner of ITV Sport, commented: “It’s an incredibly exciting time for Formula E and we are proud to continue our partnership with them for a further two years. In what is the largest season of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship so far, we will continue to bring the very best action free-to-air across ITV4 and ITVX.”
Jonathan Salt, VP, Media at Formula E, added: “Our extended partnership with ITV is fantastic news for Formula E fans across the UK and Ireland, ensuring that the thrill of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship remains free and accessible to the widest possible audience. With our largest calendar yet and the exciting conclusion of the GEN3 Evo era, we’re looking forward to delivering incredible action to millions of homes.”
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