ITV’s Champions: Full Gallop proves a winner with over 1m viewers across first weekend
ITV’s Champions:
Full Gallop proves a winner with over 1m viewers across first weekend
“It's really exciting, it's exceptional and it's adrenaline-filled” - Broadcaster Vernon Kay
Champions: Full Gallop, the dramatic new, prime-time six-part docuseries which delves into the world of horseracing like never before, has proved a winner in the competitive world of sports documentaries.
The first episode of the docuseries aired on ITV1 and ITVX a week ago (19th July) and offered a backstage pass to the lives of jockeys and trainers connected to horses competing in a dramatic King George VI Chase on Boxing Day.
Across the weekend, it pulled in an audience of 1.1m viewers. This made it the third most-watched sports documentary on any channel this year, behind only Andy Murray: Will to Win (BBC1) and Boris Becker: The Rise and Fall (ITV).
It proved more popular than this year’s episodic editions of other popular sports docuseries, such as Drive To Survive, Full Swing and Unchained and has received excellent reviews (see further below).
Produced by South Shore, supported by Flutter Entertainment and Racecourse Media Group (RMG), the programme gives fans access all areas, from weighing rooms to stable yards, as cameras follow the dramatic high-octane thrills, emotion, and drama both on and off the racetrack.
The next episode is on ITV1 at 9pm today (Friday July 26) and the first three episodes are available to stream now on ITVX here.
Praise for Champions: Full Gallop
“I don’t know the full ins and outs of racing. But, honestly, I’m all in after that. It’s brilliant. I’ve watched a lot of the sports documentaries and the one thing I want to know are the things you’d never dream of seeing. That was a proper peek behind the curtain” – former England footballer Peter Crouch
“It's really exciting, it's exceptional and it's adrenaline-filled” – Broadcaster Vernon Kay
“When you get taken so close to the action, you crave to see more. It is why Champions: Full Gallop is brimming with the potential to leave armchair viewers gasping at racing's omnipresent danger or bonding with the infectious characters – human and equine – who make the sport what it is" – Daily Mail
“This gem from ITV (is) about the UK horse-racing calendar and the mad men and women who partake in it” – The Times
“This could be one of the best things that has ever happened to British Racing” - Racing Post
Ends
About Flutter Entertainment plc
Flutter is the world’s leading online sports betting and iGaming operator, with leading positions in markets across the world, including the US. Our ambition is to leverage our significant scale and our challenger mindset to change our industry for the better. By Changing the Game, we believe we can deliver long-term growth while promoting a positive, sustainable future for all our stakeholders. We are well-placed to do so through the distinctive, global competitive advantages of the Flutter Edge, which gives our brands access to group-wide benefits to stay ahead of the competition, as well as our clear vision for sustainability through our Positive Impact Plan.
Flutter operates a diverse portfolio of leading online sports betting and iGaming brands including FanDuel, Sky Betting & Gaming, Sportsbet, PokerStars, Paddy Power, Sisal, Tombola, Betfair, MaxBet, Junglee Games and Adjarabet.
About Racecourse Media Group (RMG):
RMG is the holding company responsible for a range of media rights management businesses involving 37 racecourse shareholders. The businesses include Racing TV (Pay TV coverage from 35 British and all 26 Irish racecourses); GBI Racing (international betting broadcast service formed via a joint venture with ARC) and Racecourse Data Company (a joint venture between 59 UK racecourses for the licensing and control of Pre-Race Data). RMG has streaming integrations with over 60 bookmaker brands in the UK and Ireland. Content from 36 UK racecourses is also broadcast in c. 7,000 betting shops in UK and Ireland via a partnership with SIS. For more info, go to: www.racecoursemediagroup.com