Racetrack Television Network: Your One-Stop Shop for Horse Racing
Racetrack Television Network (RTN) offers comprehensive coverage of live horse racing from around the globe, delivering an “every-game” experience similar to NFL Sunday Ticket or MLB Extra Innings. Subscribers can access full-card coverage from numerous tracks, providing a complete simulcast experience directly in their homes or on mobile devices. RTN caters to the evolving viewing habits of horse racing enthusiasts by providing a variety of subscription options, including ad-supported packages, and ensuring accessibility across various platforms.
RTN distinguishes itself by offering full-card coverage from every track, unlike linear channels that switch between races. This comprehensive approach allows viewers to immerse themselves in the entire racing experience, just as if they were at the track or a simulcast facility. Recognizing the shift towards digital consumption, RTN evolved from a direct-to-home satellite network to partnerships with major providers like DISH Network and expanded its reach to online and mobile platforms.
This innovative approach allows for simultaneous distribution to both physical simulcast locations and individual consumers, ensuring a seamless and high-quality viewing experience without delays or retransmission issues. While the initial model faced challenges in scaling across different pay-TV platforms due to the sheer volume of content (80 channels, operating seven days a week), RTN’s online and mobile offerings have overcome these limitations.
RTN boasts the world’s largest selection of racetrack simulcasts, providing round-the-clock racing action that includes international events. Recognizing the diverse needs of racing fans, RTN offers a range of packages, including replay-only subscriptions, live streaming with replays, and breed-specific packages for Thoroughbred, harness, and Quarter Horse racing. Individual track packages are also available, incentivizing tracks to transition from free, lower-quality streams to a revenue-sharing model with RTN, ensuring high-definition broadcasts and monetization opportunities.
The transition to high-definition broadcasting significantly benefits both tracks and fans. While some tracks hesitate to discontinue free standard-definition streams, RTN’s model demonstrates that fans are willing to pay for HD quality and access to archived races. This shift mirrors trends in other sports where viewers readily subscribe to HD sports packages with extensive archives. RTN aims to educate tracks about the pitfalls of free streaming, emphasizing the risks of piracy and lost revenue.
RTN actively combats piracy and emphasizes the importance of content monetization for the long-term sustainability of the horse racing industry. By partnering with tracks and offering a premium viewing experience, RTN strives to create a legitimate and profitable ecosystem for all stakeholders. Beyond live racing, RTN incorporates additional features like sports handicapping through partnerships with networks like VSiN, further enhancing the value proposition for subscribers.
RTN continuously invests in technology to minimize latency and enhance picture quality. By utilizing dedicated transmission infrastructure and minimizing reliance on the public internet, RTN achieves remarkably low latency, delivering streams to viewers in approximately four seconds. Ongoing upgrades to both the number of tracks broadcasting in HD and the overall quality of HD broadcasts solidify RTN’s commitment to providing a superior viewing experience. The network envisions becoming the central hub for horse racing content, offering the widest selection of races, the highest quality video, and the most diverse viewing options. This comprehensive approach aims to position RTN as the leading league-like platform for horse racing enthusiasts worldwide.
