Flutter UK & Ireland has announced a partnership with ITV and other industry partners for a six-part documentary on British horse racing to be shown on ITV1 and ITVX in 2024.
The documentary will focus on the 2023-24 Jumps season and will show behind-the-scenes and life stories of the sport. The project, which will also focus on the welfare of horses and jockeys, seeks to raise the profile of horse racing to a wider audience and will see production start in December.
The documentary will be produced by South Shore, a production company supported by ITV. Flutter and the Racecourse Media Group (RMG) are endorsing the project, with additional support from bodies such as the Professional Jockeys’ Association and the British Horseracing Authority (BHA).
Flutter’s involvement is part of the “Do More” pillar of its Positive Impact Plan. According to the company, the goal is to impact the lives of 10 million people by 2030.
Filming will begin in December and the series is expected to premiere in late summer 2024. South Shore is responsible for productions such as “Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams” (BBC1) and “Football Dreams: The Academy” (C4).
Ian Brown
Ian Brown, CEO at Flutter UKI, said: “We are delighted to announce the forthcoming horse racing documentary series in conjunction with ITV and RMG. This is an idea we’ve promoted for some time and we are hugely excited to be bringing the inner story of horse racing, and all the wonderful people who support it to a new and broader audience through a prime time slot on ITV1.
“In line with a key pillar of our Positive Impact Plan, this is also another great example of Flutter supporting the communities we operate within to ‘Do More’. We have long supported the horse racing industry – investing over £140m into UK racing in 2022 alone – and are committed to working together with all racing stakeholders to support and modernize this unique and enthralling sport through initiatives like this brilliant new series,” he added.
Simon Daglish, Deputy Managing Director, Commercial at ITV, stated: “Racing drives an enormous amount of passion and excitement among ITV viewers as we know from our unrivaled coverage. This new series is a fantastic chance to build on that excitement and bring this adrenaline-filled sport to a new audience. We are delighted to be working with the racing community to showcase racing in a way that has never been seen before.”