Tabcorp’s Sky Racing bucks spring TV ratings slump

Tabcorp’s Sky Racing bucks spring TV ratings slump

It looks like Australians are more inclined to watch horse racing than other TV shows in springtime.

Tabcorp’s Sky Racing bucks spring TV ratings slumpCiting the latest television audience statistics from OzTam, The Australian Financial Review reported that Tabcorp’s Sky Racing coverage enjoyed high television ratings compared to other pay-TV shows for sports, news, lifestyle, and drama.

The research firm’s figures showed that Sky Racing’s average audience in the recent horse racing carnival, including the Melbourne Cup and Winx’s big win in the Cox Plate, climbed 16 percent compared to last year’s coverage.

The show’s rating peaked at 48 percent during the Everest/Caulfield Guineas day on October 14, according to a Tabcorp spokesman. On the other hand, the ratings agency noted slight audience declines across Foxtel’s pay-TV service.

Tabcorp’s rival Racing.com, which is a joint venture between Seven West Media (Seven) and Racing Victoria, also posted an audience increase during the carnival.

Data from Google Analytics and Telstra showed that Racing.com’s average weekly users jumped 31 percent to 241,000.

Speaking of Racing.com, the website is now negotiating for the free-to-air rights to New South Wales and Victorian thoroughbred races. The coverage of the two races are currently being handled by Seven, in partnership with TVN network.

The rights to air the NSW and Victorian thoroughbred races are set to expire in February.

New Aussie ads trying to attract female audience

In other Australian gambling news, operators are now trying to attract female players through a new wave of advertisements that feature women.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that recent gambling ads are now portraying women as the “protagonists” in the narrative rather than playing secondary characters “in a male’s betting experience.”

The report cited the findings of Deakin University researchers, who concluded that “women are gambling on a more diverse range of gambling products” and that “younger women have more positive views toward gambling.”

While they spent less than a quarter of what male customers spend, the report noted that the number of female punters had grown in recent years.