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Meadowlands to stay on TVG

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December 12, 2007

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According to reports, TVG has renewed its exclusive television distribution and account wagering rights agreement with the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA) for the Meadowlands. TVG made the announcement on Dec. 12.

TVG is a subsidiary of Gemstar-TV Guide International, which on Dec. 7 announced it had reached agreement with Macrovision Corp. for a $2.8-billion merger.

The NJSEA's first exclusive with TVG was inked at this time last year. It was controversial because the NJSEA, particularly its racetrack management team, had long held that exclusives were bad for the racing business. The agreement was also controversial with the Standardsbred Breeders and Owners Association of New Jersey, which represents harness horsemen in the state, because they were given no assurances that handle on the Meadowlands' harness races wouldn't take a hit because of the exclusive with TVG.

Another concern, that Meadowlands races continue to be available on RTN, was eased when RTN's rights to broadcast the races were preserved.

Early in 2007 TVG installed state-of-the-art technology at the Meadowlands so it could broadcast a clearer picture of the track's races. However, in November its commitment to harness racing was questioned by the Hambletonian Society, which owns the Breeders Crown races. When TVG seemed uninterested in promoting the Society's Breeders Crown races at the Meadowlands, or guaranteeing that all of those races would be shown lve, the Society negotiated independently and gave the rights to the races to TVG's competitor, HRTV.

Earlier this year TVG lost some racing content previously secured through exclusive contracts, namely that of tracks owned by Churchill Downs Inc. and Magna Entertainment, which now operate HRTV in a joint venture called TrackNet Media Group.

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