NYRA Bets president Tony Allevato says the New York Racing Association is weighing options to offset the impending loss of television coverage of racing on FanDuel TV which include adding tracks to its "America's Day At The Races" show and the possible creation of a separate digital channel to present races seven days a week.
Allevato, who also serves as NYRA's chief revenue officer, said about the loss of FanDuel TV coverage at the end of 2027, "That's a big hole that needs to be filled."
FanDuel TV, which was originally TVG, announced March 27 a 20-month phaseout of the channel which offers daily national and international Thoroughbred racing, starting this summer and culminating with the closing of the network at the end of 2027. It is expected that 60% of its workforce, including on-air talent, will be cut by July 1.
A saving grace for the industry is that NYRA currently airs about 1,000 hours of racing on FS1 and FS2 with "America's Day At The Races" and "Saratoga Live" through a partnership with FOX Sports, and expanded programing of that show could create a new home for tracks and FanDuel TV staffers.
"It's a blow for racing but, thankfully, we have a great partner in FOX and we are not starting from scratch. We have a really great foundation with FOX and we hope we can fill that void. If FOX was not around, the industry would be in a much worse position," Allevato said.
Since FanDuel TV's announcement was made March 27 and the news is relatively new, Allevato said "everything is on the table" as NYRA reacts quickly to the shifting television landscape for the sport.
Some tracks are currently under contract with FanDuel TV, which will delay adding them to the NYRA tracks and others such as Oaklawn Park, Tampa Bay Downs, and Monmouth Park that have been featured on the FOX program, which is tied to NYRA race dates.
"We're open to anything," Allevato said.
The additional airtime could pave the wave for NYRA to add some FanDuel personnel to its team.
"My heart goes out to the 100-plus employees there who were told on Friday that they would be out of work," said Allevato, who was with TVG for 14 years, dating back to its launch in 1999 and rising to the position of executive producer. "Many of the people there now have worked there for a quarter-century."
Allevato also said addressing a way to replace FanDuel TV is of paramount importance to fans.
"Fans have come to rely on FanDuel TV as a place they can tune in seven days a week at any time of day for horse racing content at all levels," he said. "That's a big hole that is going to need to be filled in some capacity. There's a lot of premier racing that's going to need a home, so we are starting to talk with FOX and people at the tracks and in the industry about what we can do about it."
To fill the daily void, Allevato envisions a digital program along the lines of the NFL's RedZone channel that would have one or two studio personalities serving as hosts.
"We are looking at a product that would be consumable from a digital, over-the-top standpoint so that customers would be able to see wall-to-wall racing coverage that bounces from track to track," he said. "That's a product that can live in different places that we would not charge the customer for and would be easily accessible."
The idea would be to offer that coverage on advance-deposit wagering platforms, sportsbooks, and digital platforms in a format that would allow outlets to include their own branding, as opposed to showcasing NYRA Bets to encourage widespread use.
"One thing that's very clear is that the fans want something and the industry wants something," Allevato said. "NYRA is not-for-profit and we want to be able to step in and help. Normally something like this might take years to come to fruition but we don't have that option. We need to do something quickly."
