Nine will be the home of the famous Melbourne Cup horse racing carnival after announcing a landmark broadcast deal.
Nine Network, along with the Victorian Racing Club and Tabcorp, revealed the news on Tuesday that will see the carnival broadcast on Nine’s channels from 2024 to 2029.
The deal includes major spring race days Derby Day, Melbourne Cup day, VRC Oaks day, and the Champions Stakes day.
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Nine is the new free-to-air broadcast partner of the Cup carnival.
That deal includes audio-visual rights for broadcast, streaming, mobile, digital and social platforms. The action will be broadcast free on Nine and 9Now channels.
“The Melbourne Cup is an iconic Australian sporting event and has been part of our nation’s cultural fabric for more than 160 years,” Nine CEO Mike Sneesby said.
“It has a rich heritage, synonymous with legendary sporting names such as Phar Lap and Makybe Diva, and Nine is honoured to be able to broadcast this world-renowned event across our platforms from 2024.”
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VRC chief Steve Rosich was ecstatic with the announcement.
“We are thrilled that in 2024 the Melbourne Cup Carnival will join the Nine big event stable alongside the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Australian Open and State of Origin,” Rosich said.
“Nine’s capability to showcase coverage of Melbourne Cup Carnival racing and events across the depth of their leading broadcast and streaming assets make for a compelling partnership outcome.”