ARE Arena Events Group Plc

RNS Number:3991T
Arena Leisure PLC
1 November 2000


Contacts      Ian Penrose
              Arena Leisure Plc                          020 7495 2277

              David Bick / Douglas Bence
              Holborn Public Relations                   020 7929 5599
                                            david.bick@holbornpr.co.uk        
                                            doug.bence@holbornpr.co.uk



                      Arena Leisure Plc ("Arena")

   'Go Racing' consortium makes new media rights offer to UK racing
           expected to be worth over #750M over ten years


Go Racing, a company to be owned equally by Arena Leisure, British Sky
Broadcasting    ("BskyB")  and  Channel  Four  Television  Corporation
("Channel Four"),   announce  a  new  offer  for  the  terrestrial and
interactive media  rights  for  UK  horseracing.    The offer is being
presented  today  to  the  UK's 59 racecourses at a meeting in central
London.

The highlights of the new offer are as follows:

*   The  combination  of  Channel  Four,  one  of  the   UK's  leading
    broadcasters  and  supporters  of British racing;  BSkyB, the UK's
    leading  provider of broadband, digital interactive entertainment,
    and  Arena  Leisure, which  has developed a worldwide  interactive
    gaming product and controls 20% of the UK's racing fixtures

*   A  new  digital  interactive  Racing  Channel,  'Go Racing',   and
    supporting Internet service

*   A new lunchtime racing programme on Channel Four

*   Promotion  of  the full diversity of all courses on Channel Four's
    Morning Line and daily Racing News on Sky

*   Use  of  promotional techniques to enhance racing with the specific
    aim of increasing on course attendances

*   Collaboration  with  the  British  Horseracing Board to attract and       
    educate a younger audience to racing

*   Advanced negotiations with international racecourse groups to  form
    a 24 hour racing channel

*   An  overall  offer  value  expected  to  be worth in excess of #750       
    million over the first ten years including a guaranteed cash sum of
    #400 million, which includes #80 million of marketing spend. A cash
    sum of #50 million will be paid to the UK racecourses up front

*   Top-up  revenues over the guaranteed cash sum  will be  paid to  UK
    racing based on 3%  of  pari-mutuel  betting turnover,  40% of  net
    fixed odds  betting  turnover, and  25% of  net turnover from other
    rights

*   Closing date for acceptance is 10 November 2000.


Commenting on the new offer, Ian Penrose of Arena Leisure, said:

"This  partnership  brings  together  the  advanced  digital television
technology of  BSkyB, Channel  Four's  award winning terrestrial racing
coverage  and  Arena's  Internet  and  global  interactive  pari-mutuel
wagering system.

"We  are  delighted  that Go Racing is in a position to move ahead with
its  plan  immediately, and  we  firmly  believe  that this is the best
overall solution for the development of UK horseracing's media rights."

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