ESPN Strikes a Deal for Breeders’ Cup

ESPN, which less than two weeks ago acquired “Monday Night Football,� has picked up another major sports property.

It was announced Friday that ESPN, beginning in 2006, would televise horse racing’s Breeders’ Cup each fall, along with major stakes races leading to Cup day.

ESPN has an eight-year agreement with the National Thoroughbred Racing Assn. and Breeders’ Cup Ltd.

The Breeders’ Cup has been televised on NBC since its inception in 1984. ESPN plans to increase the coverage for the eight-race, single-day event from five hours to seven.

The agreement also calls for high-definition coverage via ESPN HD, Spanish-language coverage on ESPN Deportes, and coverage on some of its other channels such as ESPN International, ESPN Classic, the recently launched ESPN360 and the ESPN Mobile cellphone service, to be launched next year.

The agreement also extends through 2013 ESPN and ABC Sports coverage of other NTRA properties, more than 30 telecasts and 40 hours of programming each year.

“The Breeders’ Cup agreement ushers in a new era for thoroughbred horse racing on ESPN, reflecting our increased commitment to the sport,� said Mark Shapiro, ESPN executive vice president of programming and production.

ESPN and ESPN2 currently devote more than 130 hours a year to horse racing.

The 2006 Breeders’ Cup will be run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, and in 2007 at Monmouth Park in New Jersey.

NBC ends its 22-year run of televising the Breeders’ Cup with this year’s races Oct. 29 from New York’s Belmont Park.

Rather than paying a rights fee for the Breeders’ Cup, NBC always televised the event through a time buy-revenue sharing deal.

NBC spokesman Mike McCarley said his network had not made an offer to continue its relationship with the Breeders’ Cup.

ESPN’s deal does not involve a time buy but it does involve revenue sharing. Financial terms were not released.

NBC has televised horse racing’s Triple Crown since 2001. The Belmont, as part of a separate recently announced deal, will move to ABC in 2006.

*

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

*--* Looking Ahead Upcoming Breeders’ Cup sites: 2005 Belmont Park Elmont, N.Y. 2006 Churchill Downs Louisville, Ky. 2007 Monmouth Park Oceanport, N.J.

*--*