Channel 4 racing online comes under starters orders

From today, Channel 4’s online racing platform will be enhanced for the four-day spectacle – The Cheltenham Festival (March 12 – 15).

With Channel 4 television providing over 20 hours of racing action, the online team will support the viewers experience with multi-media live text commentary across the four days, a dedicated Parade Ring camera for Friday’s racecard with exclusive audio supplied by betting expert Tom Lee; and a newly launched Channel 4 Racing App.  Accessible at www.channel4.com/racing the site will also carry the latest social media activities.

Under the new media rights agreement which sees Channel 4 the home of all horseracing from 2013 – 2016 inclusive, the channel has for the first time, undertaken new online initiatives.  Further enhancements will be revealed throughout the year.

The dedicated Parade Ring camera on Gold Cup Day will provide online viewers with dedicated images of horses in the Parade Ring from 1pm, bringing the audience closer to the pre-racing action.

James Rutherford, Channel 4’s Multiplatform Commissioner for Sport, explains: “Racing in 2013 is a great opportunity for Channel 4 and the right time to invest in our multi-platform output.  We look forward to working closely with the television production to make the most of synergies there and continue to develop what we are doing over the four years of this rights agreement.”

Deltratre has been appointed the online editorial contract following their award nominated coverage on Channel 4’s Paralympics website.  They have pooled a specialist team that includes Oliver Brett who claims close to 20 years experience of working on newspapers and digital platforms. Oliver was the BBC's main live blog commentator for their horseracing coverage and has extensive experience having covered every major racing event in the UK.

A new recruit is to the team is Tom Thurgood, former winner of Young Racing Blogger of the Year competition organised by Racing For Change and the British Horseracing Authority, followed but a stint as a roving reporter for the Guardian during their Cheltenham coverage in 2012.  Matt Majendie also joins the team - a vastly experienced sports journalist formerly worked Channel 4 online for the Paralympics and writes regularly for the Evening Standard.

Also working on the new venture are Chroma and the Press Association.