TVN (Australia)
Encyclopedia
TVN is an Australia
n thoroughbred horse-racing channel. It is available on Foxtel
, Austar
and Optus TV as a premium channel option. Content is also available online via www.racingnetwork.com.au Telstra
's BigPond
Web Portal. The channel was set up by the Victorian thoroughbred racing industry and Sydney metropolitan racing clubs as an alternative to Sky Racing
and as an attempt by the racing clubs concerned "to capture the valuable assets of racing media rights and leverage them to the benefit of racing".
TVN is 50% owned by Victorian racings organisations Melbourne Racing Club
, Victoria Racing Club
, Moonee Valley Racing Club
and Country Racing Victoria; and 50% by the Sydney based, Australian Turf Club. It was launched in May 2005 and holds the broadcast rights to these race meetings.
Prior to the launch of TVN, Sky Channel purchased the rights to broadcast race meetings from almost all racing clubs across the country and then resold the rights to pubs and clubs, back to the racing venues and also to DTH subscribers.
TVN was formed after TabCorp
, the owner of Sky Racing
, pulled out of plans it was developing with Racing Victoria Limited
in February 2005 to launch a dedicated thoroughbred racing channel apart from Sky Channel's other broadcasts, which included harness racing
and greyhound racing
, with Sky Channel chief executive Peter Caillard stating that "the fledgling TVN model is a risky proposition to all the racing codes and is not in a position to showcase thoroughbred racing to its full potential".
Victorian racing clubs planned to continue launching the service and won the support of the Australian Jockey Club
and Sydney Turf Club
when they announced their intention not to re-sign with Sky Channel when their contracts came up for renewal in March 2005. Both the AJC and STC supported TVN and a partnership was formed with Racing Victoria Limited
. In May 2005 existing contracts between Victorian raceclubs and Sky Channel ended and these were then signed over to TVN.
The service was initially only available on the Foxtel platform, but Sky Channel had exclusivity agreements with some race meetings through Sky Racing. In August 2005 Sky successfully obtained an injunction against TVN and pay TV carrier Austar, stopping Austar from broadcasting TVN. However, broadcast agreements were eventually extended to Austar
and Optus
.
TVN's focus is extended coverage of the three main Australian thoroughbred race meetings each day. This typically consists of the major meeting from the states of Victoria & New South Wales. Additionally, the channel occasionally broadcasts racing coverage from other meetings within Australia, as well as international meetings such as Hong Kong, Singapore & the United Kingdom. It is also considered that TVN's Singapore coverage is the most comprehensive on Australian television.
On 3 July 2007 TVN announced that it had purchased the racing magazines Best Bets and Winning Post from On Notice Pty Ltd and Outbound Software Pty Ltd, companies owned by Melbourne businessman and thoroughbred racehorse owner Peter Sidwell. TVN had previously obtained racing information and services from Best Bets.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n thoroughbred horse-racing channel. It is available on Foxtel
Foxtel
Foxtel is an Australian pay television company, operating cable, direct broadcast satellite television and IPTV services. It was formed in 1995 through a joint venture established between Telstra and News Corporation....
, Austar
Austar
Austar is an Australian telecommunications company. Its main business activity is Subscription Television but it is also involved with internet access and mobile phones...
and Optus TV as a premium channel option. Content is also available online via www.racingnetwork.com.au Telstra
Telstra
Telstra Corporation Limited is an Australian telecommunications and media company, building and operating telecommunications networks and marketing voice, mobile, internet access and pay television products and services....
's BigPond
BigPond
BigPond is an Australian Internet service provider and is a product of Telstra. BigPond is Australia's largest ISP and based in Melbourne.- Internet :...
Web Portal. The channel was set up by the Victorian thoroughbred racing industry and Sydney metropolitan racing clubs as an alternative to Sky Racing
Sky Racing
Sky Racing is an Australian horse and greyhound racing television channel. It is carried by Foxtel, Austar, Optus TV and Neighbourhood Cable. It was formerly available on SelecTV from 16 April 2007 until the closure of its English service in late 2010....
and as an attempt by the racing clubs concerned "to capture the valuable assets of racing media rights and leverage them to the benefit of racing".
TVN is 50% owned by Victorian racings organisations Melbourne Racing Club
Melbourne Racing Club
The Melbourne Racing Club is one of three metropolitan horse racing clubs in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It began life as the Victoria Amateur Turf Club in 1875 with Mr. E.C. Moore as the Club's first Secretary. The Dowling Forest Racecourse in Ballarat was the location for the first VATC race...
, Victoria Racing Club
Victoria Racing Club
The Victoria Racing Club was founded in 1864. It was formed following the disbanding of the Victoria Turf Club and the Victoria Jockey Club. A legacy passed from the Victoria Turf Club was the annual “race that stops a nation”, the Melbourne Cup, which was first contested in 1861.From its...
, Moonee Valley Racing Club
Moonee Valley Racing Club
The Moonee Valley Racing Club is located at the Moonee Valley racecourse on McPherson Street, Moonee Ponds . It is one of three racing clubs in the Melbourne metropolitan area; the others are the Victoria Racing Club and the Melbourne Racing Club...
and Country Racing Victoria; and 50% by the Sydney based, Australian Turf Club. It was launched in May 2005 and holds the broadcast rights to these race meetings.
Prior to the launch of TVN, Sky Channel purchased the rights to broadcast race meetings from almost all racing clubs across the country and then resold the rights to pubs and clubs, back to the racing venues and also to DTH subscribers.
TVN was formed after TabCorp
Tabcorp Holdings
Tabcorp Holdings is an Australian company with interests in gaming, wagering and related media. It was formed through the privatisation of the Victorian Totalisator Agency Board in 1994. The TAB ran all off-track betting on horse racing, greyhound racing, and harness racing in Victoria, as well...
, the owner of Sky Racing
Sky Racing
Sky Racing is an Australian horse and greyhound racing television channel. It is carried by Foxtel, Austar, Optus TV and Neighbourhood Cable. It was formerly available on SelecTV from 16 April 2007 until the closure of its English service in late 2010....
, pulled out of plans it was developing with Racing Victoria Limited
Racing Victoria Limited
Racing Victoria Limited, as the governing Principal Racing Authority, has responsibilities to develop, encourage, promote and manage the conduct of Thoroughbred horseracing in the State of Victoria, Australia...
in February 2005 to launch a dedicated thoroughbred racing channel apart from Sky Channel's other broadcasts, which included harness racing
Harness racing
Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait . They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, although racing under saddle is also conducted in Europe.-Breeds:...
and greyhound racing
Greyhound racing
Greyhound racing is the sport of racing greyhounds. The dogs chase a lure on a track until they arrive at the finish line. The one that arrives first is the winner....
, with Sky Channel chief executive Peter Caillard stating that "the fledgling TVN model is a risky proposition to all the racing codes and is not in a position to showcase thoroughbred racing to its full potential".
Victorian racing clubs planned to continue launching the service and won the support of the Australian Jockey Club
Australian Jockey Club
The Australian Jockey Club was founded in January 1842. It morphed from the former Australian Racing Committee set up in May 1840 to set the standards for racing in the colony...
and Sydney Turf Club
Sydney Turf Club
The Sydney Turf Club was founded in 1943 and is the youngest of Australia's Principal Race Clubs. It was formed following an Act passed by the New South Wales parliament called the Sydney Turf Club Act...
when they announced their intention not to re-sign with Sky Channel when their contracts came up for renewal in March 2005. Both the AJC and STC supported TVN and a partnership was formed with Racing Victoria Limited
Racing Victoria Limited
Racing Victoria Limited, as the governing Principal Racing Authority, has responsibilities to develop, encourage, promote and manage the conduct of Thoroughbred horseracing in the State of Victoria, Australia...
. In May 2005 existing contracts between Victorian raceclubs and Sky Channel ended and these were then signed over to TVN.
The service was initially only available on the Foxtel platform, but Sky Channel had exclusivity agreements with some race meetings through Sky Racing. In August 2005 Sky successfully obtained an injunction against TVN and pay TV carrier Austar, stopping Austar from broadcasting TVN. However, broadcast agreements were eventually extended to Austar
Austar
Austar is an Australian telecommunications company. Its main business activity is Subscription Television but it is also involved with internet access and mobile phones...
and Optus
Optus
SingTel Optus Pty Limited is the second largest telecommunications company in Australia, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore Telecommunications...
.
TVN's focus is extended coverage of the three main Australian thoroughbred race meetings each day. This typically consists of the major meeting from the states of Victoria & New South Wales. Additionally, the channel occasionally broadcasts racing coverage from other meetings within Australia, as well as international meetings such as Hong Kong, Singapore & the United Kingdom. It is also considered that TVN's Singapore coverage is the most comprehensive on Australian television.
On 3 July 2007 TVN announced that it had purchased the racing magazines Best Bets and Winning Post from On Notice Pty Ltd and Outbound Software Pty Ltd, companies owned by Melbourne businessman and thoroughbred racehorse owner Peter Sidwell. TVN had previously obtained racing information and services from Best Bets.