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ITV Snap up Famed Sky Sports TV Presenter

by Dave Elliott
ITV Snap up Famed Sky Sports TV Presenter

ITV Snap up Famed Sky Sports TV Presenter

From Premier League Football to Racing, why did Ed Chamberlin make such a move? It has been nearly two years since he converted to Racing, but a day rarely goes past when he isn’t asked about why he left Sky Sports for ITV Racing.

Why the Change of Heart?

As chief presenter, Ed Chamberlin’s aim is to grow the racing audience for ITV Racing. By looking at the ratings for this August’s Ebor Festival, ITV Racing received an increase of 30,000 viewers, totalling 510,000 viewers across four days. These are great figures, but Chamberlin is experienced to enough to know that next year needs to be even better.

There is a historical link with ITV and racing. Since the days of the ‘ITV Seven’ bet, which was an important part of the Saturday afternoon ‘World of Sport’ programme. In 1985, ITV’s broadcasting of horse racing moved to Channel 4. As well as its two well-known broadcasters, Derek Thompson and John McCririck.

Now that racing has returned to ITV, it has two dedicated channels: Racing UK and At The Races. ITV is now broadcasting up to 100 days of horse racing per year, including the 2018 Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe earlier this month and local events like Royal Ascot and the Cheltenham Festival. Ed Chamberlin is the face and voice of these events. Initially, UK punters were sceptical of the change that racing took when ITV won the broadcasting rights for British horse racing. But Chamberlin brings much experience, popularity and an abundance of knowledge in what was considered by some as a step down in his broadcasting career.

Ed has landed his dream job with ITV Racing and he’s truly loving it. After his battle with cancer, Chamberlin was excited to present on a sport that he is deeply passionate about; this is what he had to say: “Racing’s all I’m focussed on now. Whatever you choose to do, give it your best shot. That is what I learnt from working with best like Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher. One was not the best or the most talented but they applied themselves and concentrated on what they had chosen to do.”

Ed’s Tips for Bettors

In the build up to the start of each event, Ed Chamberlin reveals his bet of the day. This year at Cheltenham, flanked by Sir A P McCoy, punters were advised of three important facts to bear in mind:

Ed Chamberlin has encouraged ITV Racing to come up with a plan to engage younger audiences through social media, also known as the Social Stable. Users are encouraged to post questions, photos and videos on social media. Social Stable has proven to be a success, alongside the introduction of the ITV Hub, which is now available on 28 platforms on mobile devices and television. ITV Hub is now the fastest-growing public online broadcasting service, four years in a row. With an enhanced user experience and awesome innovative content, the ITV Hub has more than 25 million registered users.

The ITV Hub helps ITV Racing reach younger audiences who have enjoyed using ITV Hub programmes such as the World Cup. For example, England’s semi-final against Croatia, ITV Hub delivered a record viewing of 0.9 million simulcast viewers. Getting with the times is an importance Chamberlin has engrained into ITV and the racing community for the future of the sport. And, it seems to be a success.

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