Ten Sports gets Qipco British Champions Day license

MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide has licensed the Qipco British Champions Day 2011, which takes place on 15 October, to a raft of international broadcasters ahead of Sportel Monaco 2011, ensuring the event will be seen in 75 countries globally.

Confirmed broadcasters include Ten Sports, the Dubai Sports Channel, SuperSport, Sport 5 Israel and NHK Japan.

Qipco British Champions Day, to be held at Ascot, is the climactic race day of the newly-formed QIPCO British Champions Series and offers prize money of over ?3 million. British racing?s major stakeholders have come together to create this prestigious event as a bigger finale to the flat racing season, in a major restructuring of the racing calendar to broaden the sport?s appeal. 

BBC Worldwide head of sport Danny O?Toole said, "This is an exciting time for British flat racing, and with the racing calendar rejuvenated, the QIPCO British Champions Day promises to be a major television event for international broadcasters. We?re delighted that these sales have already guaranteed it a substantial global audience, and expect to see more deals closed soon at Sportel."

Ascot head of communications and international racing Nick Smith also welcomed the deals, saying, "Qipco British Champions Day has the potential to be ranked alongside the USA?s Breeders? Cup, UAE?s Dubai World Cup fixture and France?s Prix de L?Arc de Triomphe day as one of the most important events in international racing, and we?re excited to see broadcasters giving it the platform it deserves around the world."

This will be BBC Worldwide?s first visit to Sportel since bringing together two previously separate parts of its sports business ? Sports Sales and Distribution and Motion Gallery Sport ? to create a single, focused team. In addition to the QIPCO British Champions Day 2011 and 2012, BBC Worldwide?s Sportel slate will also include a wide range of world class live events, quality programming and sport archive.

Live events on offer range from Royal Ascot, The Investec Derby and John Smith?s Grand National to Barbarians vs. Australia 2011, the London Marathon and the Oxford & Cambridge University Boat Race. New programmes available include the critically-acclaimed film Fire in Babylon, as well as upcoming BBC One documentaries The Dark Side Of Sport ? Freddie On Depression and Nic Hamilton ? My Chance to Shine. Sport archives of BBC Worldwide include The Football League, BBC Sport, The FA, ECB, Six Nations and the Commonwealth Games.