Australian retail and online gambling provider Tabcorp Holdings Limited has joined with British firm Sports Information Services (SIS) Limited to announce that the pair’s previously agreed greyhound racing partnership had experienced a “strong start”.
Under the arrangement signed in February, Melbourne-based Tabcorp Holdings Limited has been broadcasting live pictures and data from greyhound races in the United Kingdom supplied by SIS Limited to punters in Australia via its Sky Racing media arm.
“Early indications show our customers have welcomed the new greyhound racing product from the United Kingdom,” read a statement from Brett Gorman, International General Manager for Tabcorp Holdings Limited, which is the largest sports betting operator in Australia. “Although most of the coverage so far has been late at night or early morning, the feedback we have received has been very positive.”
Tabcorp Holdings Limited explained that SIS Limited has so far been providing it with pictures and data from two race meetings every day while these feeds, which are being broadcast from late in the evenings through to the early mornings, have been featuring its own local and in-house commentary. As the northern hemisphere moves into summer, the firm declared that it will be able to provide a more attractive time slot for these programs due to the shortening time difference between the United Kingdom and Australia.
For its part, Milton Keynes-based SIS Limited acquired the rights to stream Bookmakers Afternoon Greyhound Service racing from 20 United Kingdom tracks to international customers in 2015 and holds similar partnerships with broadcasters in mainland Europe and South Africa. It stated that it currently provides coverage of nearly 30,000 races every year and is hoping to expand its relationship with Tabcorp Holdings Limited.
“We couldn’t be more pleased with how the first month has gone with Tabcorp Holdings Limited and its great news that [it is] already looking to increase coverage,” read a statement from Paul Witten, Commercial Director for SIS Limited. “There are some minor differences between the two country’s formats, noticeably the number of runners in each race, but the United Kingdom and Australia are two sports-mad populations and we’re talking about a very high quality sports product here. It also demonstrates how successful United Kingdom greyhounds can be in overseas markets and I’m very confident that this will help SIS Limited [to] further enhance its international reach.”
