Kindred Group says ITV horseracing docuseries driving brand awareness
Ed Nicholson, head of racing, adds that he hopes programme will bring new fans to the sport as he reflects on performance of aired episodes
Kindred Group’s head of racing, Ed Nicholson, has suggested the new six-part, fly-on-the-wall docuseries following the 2023-2024 Jumps season could attract a new army of fans to the sport.
Speaking as part of an in-house interview with the operator, Nicholson explained that Champions: Full Gallop is set to be viewed by millions of people over the coming weeks giving a potential boost to horseracing.
Produced by South Shore Productions, the show debuted on Friday 19 July, taking the second position in the terrestrial TV rankings for a 9pm show, behind BBC drama Death in Paradise.
The first episode, which focused on the build-up to the King George at Kempton on Boxing Day in 2023, attracted an average of 875,000 viewers, with a peak audience of 1.4 million, according to Nicholson.
By comparison, Death in Paradise had an average viewership of 1.4 million, while third-placed 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown had a 703,000 average.
The series follows some of the biggest names in horseracing over a nine-month period, including trainer Nicky Henderson and stable jockey Nico de Boinville, both sponsored by Kindred’s flagship Unibet brand.
Nicholson said: “Henderson trained, and Nico de Boinville rode, some of the best horses in the biggest races during last season – including Shishkin and Constitution Hill – so our Unibet brand has been afforded plenty of airtime throughout this series.
“Our position as the number one sponsor of races during this epoch, including the Unibet Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, has also meant our Unibet brand and name has received plenty of exposure from the edits around the big races and racecourses.”
He added that the firm had been able to generate brand awareness “as best we could, considering the stringent broadcasting regulations that surround undue brand prominence”.
As per Henderson and de Boinville’s Unibet deals, the pair are contracted to wear Unibet branding while at racecourses and for all media opportunities.
Champions: Full Gallop, which is broadcast on ITV1 and ITVX, is sponsored and supported by Flutter UK and Ireland as well as Racecourse Media Group.
Reflecting on the episodes released so far, Nicholson said he hoped Unibet had demonstrated its credentials as a key supporter of the racing industry and that the series could encourage a new wave of fans.
He continued: “Having seen the first few episodes, it is my hope that Unibet can be rightly viewed as a great friend and supporter of jumps racing as our brand is highly visible.
“But more than this, the simple fact that racing has such an excellent opportunity to demonstrate what an incredibly competitive, diverse and entertaining product it is to a potentially new group of future fans is the main takeaway for me from this initiative.”
Horseracing is the second-largest sport in the UK in terms of attendance and revenue generated.