The $ 30.5 million Dubai World Cup meeting at Meydan Racecourse on Saturday, March 30 is more than just a Middle East wide event with fans in over 150 countries in all corners of the globe set to tune into to their television sets to watch the elecrtifying action live.
There are a staggering 33 individual Group / Grade 1 winners entered across the eight thoroughbred races, headlined by the $12m Dubai World Cup, sponsored by Emirates Airline.
The showpiece has the potential to be one of the hottest races of 2024, with defending champion n Ushba Tesoro, Saudi Cup winner Senor Buscador and Breeders’ Cup Classic runner-up Derma Sotogake among the line-up.
The Kazakhstan-owned sensation Kabirkhan, winner of the Group 1 Maktoum Challenge in January, adds real intrigue, attracting a huge following in his homeland, so much so that Qazsport, the leading Kazakh sports channel, will be on-site to broadcast his challenge.
Dubai Racing Club, working with its appointed distribution and production company, Racecourse Media Group (RMG), and RMG’s agency HBA Media, have secured some of the biggest names in sports broadcasting.
RMG, in conjunction with Timeline TV, is providing all broadcast services for Dubai Racing Club, including the World Feed programme, hosted by Nick Luck, acknowledged as the world’s leading horseracing broadcaster.
Another first-time broadcaster is Saudi Sports Channel, which will also be on-site, as will Dubai Racing Channel and Yas TV (Abu Dhabi). Other major broadcasters include Fox Sports in the US, ESPN / Star+ in South America, SuperSport in Africa and Viaplay in Europe.
EuroVision Sport, the EBU’s new digital platform, will broadcast the full World Feed for the first time in select markets across Europe, ensuring pan-regional coverage for the event.
The Shahid platform, part of the MBC Group family, provides live coverage of the Dubai World Cup evening to its extensive audience across the Arab world and Europe. Additionally, Shahid offers a “video on demand” (VOD) service, a pioneering feature in the Arab region.
Major General Dr Mohammed Essa Al Adhab, Executive Director of Dubai Racing Club, said: “We are hugely excited about the 2024 Dubai World Cup which is the 28th running of this great event.
“Horses from 14 countries will compete across the nine races, ensuring global interest and media coverage. We have also received more than 400 media accreditation applications, further showing the interest in the meeting among race fans.”
Seb Vance, Director of International TV Distribution at RMG, added: “This year’s fixture, given the wealth of top-class performers from all around the world, has really caught the imagination of broadcasters. Working with our distribution agency, HBA Media, we are delighted that wherever you are located in the world, the Dubai World Cup fixture is almost certain to be on a screen near you.
“We are proud to be providing the Dubai Racing Club’s television and production services for the ninth consecutive season,” Vance added. “Everyone at RMG thoroughly enjoys working with Major General Dr Mohammed Essa Al Adhab and his team. We are very grateful for the opportunity and look forward to continuing this hugely valued relationship.”
Sport 24 will make the broadcast available to selected airlines, including title sponsor, Emirates Airline, for those in the skies, while Global Eagle will do the same for selected cruise lines for those on the seas.
CNN Worldwide, which reaches more than 347 million households, is covering the race for its World Sport programme and Reuters and SNTV will distribute highlights to news outlets.
Broadcasters covering the Dubai World Cup fixture include:
Asia and Australia: Green Channel, Fuji TV, Netkeiba (Japan); TVB, Cable, Now TV, HKJC TV (Hong Kong); STC TV (Singapore); Sony Network (Indian subcontinent); Sky Thoroughbred Central, Entain, (Australia); Entain, (Australia and New Zealand); Trackside (New Zealand); Transvision (Indonesia)
Africa and Middle East: Dubai Racing Channel; Saudi Sports Channel; Yas TV (MENA); and SuperSport, Racing 240 (Africa)
Americas and Caribbean: Fox Sports, Fanduel, NYRA (US); HPI (Canada); ESPN / Star+ (South America and Caribbean); and SportsMax (Caribbean)
Europe: Equidia (France); Match TV (Russia); Polsat (Poland); Qazsport (Kazakhstan); Racing TV (UK, Republic of Ireland); Setanta (Eurasia and Baltics); SilkNet (Georgia); TJK TV (Turkey); Viaplay (pan Europe); Virgin Media (Republic of Ireland); and WeDo (Germany, Switzerland and Austria).
News and Magazine programming (all global): CNN International, Reuters, SNTV and TransWorld Sports.