Monday 29 December at 4:40pm
In 2026, ITV’s intention is to again broadcast over 70 days of racing on ITV1 and ITVX.
Of the 116 days shown, this means almost three quarters of these are likely to gain the large free-to-air audience of ITV1.
The schedule will again be spearheaded by the major Festivals – Cheltenham, Aintree Randox Grand National, Betfred Derby and Royal Ascot – with the Royal Ascot schedule remaining on ITV1 with no major FIFA World Cup clashes predicted.
A new initiative for 2026 is the ARC ‘Friday Night Live’ series that kicks off at Wolverhampton on 9 January, with the Sky Bet Sunday Series continuing across the summer months.
There will be 62 Opening Shows, and for the first time, from January 3 these will be streaming onto ITV Racing’s YouTube channel as well as on ITV4.
Sports Presenter of the Year 2025, Ed Chamberlin, will continue to spearhead the Bafta-winning presenting and production team across the year, alongside Francesca Cumani for the flat season. Oli Bell will be at the helm of The Opening Show and Sunday Series, with Meg Nicholls hosting Friday Night Live.
ITV Racing viewing figures in 2025 posted a 5% increase on 2024.
Racing Editors Richard Willoughby and Paul Cooper commented:
“After a really successful 2025, we look forward to a busy 10th year showcasing racing. As well as covering all the major Festivals, we are equally delighted to be able to show racing from tracks we get to visit just once a year, with all of this on a free to air platform.”
