We teamed up with Racing TV to help tune-up its digital strategy for 2019.

Racing TV is the leading broadcaster of UK and Irish horseracing, covering more than 70% of the sport. It also has roots in digital that go back to the Racing TV streaming service launch in 2009.

In 2019, there has been an even greater need to grow the digital presence of horseracing and continue growing the sport. To connect with modern fans, Racing TV has enhanced its online video, real-time engagement and brand positioning across its website, social media channels and mobile app.

During the 2019 Grand National and Cheltenham Festival, Racing TV used Grabyo to provide real-time video clips across social media. The near-live highlights and live clips shared during Cheltenham week reached 13.4 million people, and grew the Racing TV social audience by over 4000 followers.

By placing its website at the center for all things racing, Racing TV has been also been able to build a meaningful offering across all devices and platforms.

Audiences behave differently on each social media platform, and Racing TV addresses this by delivering ‘breaking’ stories and real-time video to Twitter and Facebook, using Instagram to publish content for younger audiences, and showcasing longer-form content on YouTube.

This compelling, multi-platform experience means Racing TV reaches every racing fan. It also provides additional value to Racing TV’s paid subscribers, across its linear broadcast channel and Racing TV Extra service. Providing premium content on social media for free, rights holders drive subscriptions of paid services and increase online traffic, converting more casual viewers.

Racing TV holds the media rights to 60 racecourses across Britain and Ireland on one definitive racing channel. During Cheltenham alone, Racing TV received over 660,000 engagements on its video content. Clips are also shared with affiliate partners, such as the racecourse venue owners, to increase distribution and accessibility.

Fans accessing content across social media want more than just race action. Supplementary content such as interviews or race previews often spark more engagement and views. Racing meets are packed full of emotion and exciting moments, which Racing TV can capture in real time using Grabyo’s cloud video platform.

Bryony Frost’s historic win, becoming the first female jockey to ride a top-level Grade One Cheltenham Festival winner over jumps, was the highlight of the 2019 Festival. 140,000 people tuned in on social media to hear what she had to say just after the race. Being first to market was key as fans flocked online immediately to catch the action.

She makes the sport so accessible

“This is his golden day, he’s intelligent and so sharp” – Take it away, Bryony#CheltenhamFestival #TheFestival pic.twitter.com/DTriaalzij

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) March 14, 2019

Grabyo’s agile and lightweight tools allowed Racing TV’s digital team to adapt to breaking stories around the course and deliver the content fans wanted to see. The finish of the Grand National at Aintree reached almost 750,000 people by being published immediately after it happened.

Media owners are able to align this success with commercial benefit by monetizing content in a variety of ways across social media, through content sponsorship or native social video ads.

Throughout Cheltenham Festival, Racing TV leveraged Twitter’s open in-stream advertising. Clips shared via Grabyo were selected by the Racing TV team to be sponsored by bookmakers, who were able to add their own branded pre-roll video advertising and creative assets. Racing TV uses the proceeds to invest back into its shareholder racecourses, further developing the sport.

Grabyo’s direct integrations with all social media platforms allow for simple and easy management of pre-arranged or open sponsorship campaigns.

Grabyo’s Studio platform enables Racing TV to quickly and easily create, edit and publish video clips to social media moments after they happen – helping to unlock the value of being first to market with video content to reach the vast social audiences who are engaging with video.