The free-to-air broadcast rights of the four-day Melbourne Cup carnival could be returning to their original home at Channel Ten.
Currently broadcast on the Seven Network, the four-day carnival looks set to return to Channel Ten from 2019, Newscorp reported on Friday.
It’s understood the deal to telecast the 4-day Melbourne Cup Carnival, which also includes Derby Day, Oaks Day and Stakes Day is worth around $10 million.
“The Seven Network has been the Victoria Racing Club’s free to air broadcast partner for the Melbourne Cup Carnival since 2002 and this contract remains in place until the end of March 2019. The VRC is in the process of reviewing media rights arrangements for the 2019 Melbourne Cup Carnival and beyond. Details regarding this process remain commercial in confidence,” a VRC statement said.
Channel 7, who have held the rights to the Melbourne Cup since 2012, still hold the rights to broadcast the upcoming 2018 Melbourne Cup.
The race that stops a nation had it’s lowest TV ratings on record last year with 1.797m metro viewers, 189,000 viewers down on the 2016 Melbourne Cup.
