CLICK HERE FOR UPDATE ON THIS STORY
S4C’s new Sunday sports programme Clwb is to broadcast live horse racing from Ffos Las racecourse for the first time on Sunday, October 12.
The Welsh-language channel will screen live action from two races at the Carmarthenshire venue as part of a bumper line-up of action from a variety of sporting events in Wales and around the world.
Clwb’s coverage will feature the Trustmark Design And Print Handicap Hurdle Race (2m 4f) at 2.15pm, followed by the Susan Andrews Memorial Handicap Steeple Chase (2m) at 2.45pm, with the five-hour Clwb programme going on air at 12.30pm.
Both races feature appearances by some of the sport’s most well-known figures, including Welsh trainer Rebecca Curtis, Nigel Twiston-Davies, who has trained two Grand National winners, and Dan Skelton, who embarked on his own training career this year after spending the last nine years as assistant to champion trainer Paul Nicholls.
Decorated jockeys such as Sam Twiston-Davies, Tom Scudamore, Jamie Moore and Paddy Brennan will also feature in both S4C-televised races at the Welsh racecourse.
Passionate horse rider and Welsh TV and radio personality Shân Cothi will present S4C’s coverage from Ffos Las, with jockey and presenter Brychan Llyr providing commentary.
Live horse racing forms one of the high points of a packed Clwb show, regarded as S4C’s version of the BBC’s former long-running Grandstand programme, which launched in September.
October 12’s edition of Clwb will also include the all-Welsh rugby clash in the Pro12 as Ospreys host Cardiff Blues, as well as French Top 14 highlights, action from the Paris-Tours one-day cycling Classic from France, Welsh Premership football and highlights of Wrexham against Grimsby in the Vanarama Conference.
“This is hopefully the first of many live broadcasts from one of Wales’ premier racecourse,” says Llion Iwan, S4C’s content commissioner for cport and factual programmes.
“It shows our commitment to showing the widest range of sports from Wales and the world on Clwb, and sports fan can tune in confident that they’ll hear about all major developments from the world of sport, all on Clwb.”
S4C has some previous experience in equine racing, covering harness race meetings from Tir Prince, Tairgwaith and Tregaron as part of a previous contract with the British Harness Racing Club.
The Welsh-language channel’s coverage of the two races from the Ffos Las meeting will also be the first time that a terrestrial TV broadcaster other than Channel 4 has covered live horse racing since 2013, when Channel 4 took over exclusive rights to all the major UK-based race meetings.
In Wales, S4C is available on Sky 104, Freeview 4, Virgin TV 166 and Freesat 104, while viewers in the rest of the UK can access the channel on Sky 134, Freesat 120 and Virgin Media 166.
Viewers across the UK can also watch S4C Online and on demand on s4c.co.uk/clic, live on tvcatchup.com, TVPlayer.com and on YouView.
.
UPDATE: S4C has confirmed that its scheduled live horse racing from Ffos Las will not now be broadcast on the channel on Sunday, October 12, in a change to advertised plans.
It appears the deal that the Welsh-language broadcaster signed with Ffos Las Racecourse contravened Channel 4’s exclusive broadcast rights deal to cover horse racing on terrestrial television in the UK.
Commenting via Twitter, Jamie Aitchison, Channel 4’s commissioning editor for sport, directly addressed S4C’s official account (@S4C): “errr I don’t think you have the broadcast rights to do this?”
He added: “no one in the uk other than Channel 4 can tx racing terrestrially. You’ll be getting a tap on the shoulder.”
lang=”en” data-conversation=”none”>
@S4C no one in the uk other than Channel 4 can tx racing terrestrially. You’ll be getting a tap on the shoulder.
— Jamie Aitchison (@Aitchy71) October 10, 2014
In a statement issued on October 11, Dafydd Rhys, S4C’s director of content, said: “In good faith, S4C agreed a contract for live racing broadcasting rights with Ffos Las Racecourse Limited.
“According to the provisions of the contract, S4C would be able to broadcast live racing from Ffos Las on 12 October and on a number of other dates during the current racing season.
“It now appears Ffos Las Racecourse Limited were not in a position to sell those broadcasting rights.
“As a result of this situation, S4C will not now be able to broadcast live racing from Ffos Las on 12 October. We apologise to our audience for any inconvenience caused.
“We hope to continue our discussions with Ffos Las with a view to reflecting in future the high level sporting events offered at the course.”
“It would not be appropriate to make any further comment at this time.”
.
.
