'R1 TO USHER IN NEW ERA' - TNN
Posted on - 10 Dec 2011
‘R1 TO USHER IN NEW ERA’
Horse Racing Set For A New High; New Venture To Showcase 13 Races In The Inaugural Year
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Mumbai: Horse racing is set to undergo a revolutionary change as ‘R1’, the new jointventure between the country’s leading media house Bennett Coleman Group and Procam International, aims to provide a dashing, racy, young and appealing look to the traditional King of Sports.
In its inaugural year, R1 will showcase 13 races, including the Classics and other important races in the cities of Mumbai and Pune, with Kolkata and Hyderabad on the anvil. R1 will also cover the Classics in Bangalore, in partnership with the Bangalore Turf Club.
Announcing this at a media briefing, Ravi Dhariwal, the CEO of Bennett Coleman Group, said: “We wish to change the way horse racing is viewed and give it a new look so that the new generation can get attracted, apart from greatly appealing to the older one.”
The R1 is also promoted and supported by Procam International and Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC). Anil Singh, the managing director of Procam, Vivek Jain, the chairman, RWITC, and Atul Pande of Ten Sports were present on the occasion.
(From left): RWITC chief Vivek Jain, model Angela Johnson and Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd CEO Ravi Dhariwal at the R1 launch at the Mahalaxmi racecourse on Saturday
Leading racing personalities like Zavaray Poonawalla, trainers Imtiaz Sait, Bezan Chenoy, Pesi Shroff, Magansingh Jodha and MK Jadhav were also present.
Besides driving extensive coverage in print, radio and television, R1 will be beamed live to every household through Ten Sports. While the channel will showcase live pulsating action for two hours on each race day, there will be promotions across a wide array of other channels including Ten Action+, Zee Café, Zee Studio, Zee News, Times Now, ET Now, ZOOM and other regional news channels.
Jim Ramsey, one of the finest producers and directors of horse racing in the world, has been appointed to give the R1 telecast a global touch. Ramsey has produced contents for Channel 4 Racing, the Dubai World Cup, World Series Racing, BBC Racing and the Prix de I’Arc de Triomphe.
Race day action will be hosted by Samir Kocchar, while former female jockey and presenter Emma Spencer, along with Mohit Lalvani, will form part of the panel in the studio. The content will be provided and edited by Cyrus Madan, Enrico Piperno and Chaiti Narula.
For the first time in the history of the sport’s coverage, behind-the-scenes action will be captured, which include the jockeys’ room and the stewards room. Besides, the live world feed will include a host of new cameras which shall be included in the 20-camera set-up.
These are the same Super Slo-Mo Camera used in international cricket, Grand Slam tennis, EPL and Champions League soccer to capture nail-biting finishes. The cameras will also go all over the course to capture the reactions of owners, trainers, breeders and the people watching the race.
The presentation ceremony and interviews of people connected with the winning horse will be carried out from the paddock by a panel of hosts. The ‘Day’s Best’, will showcase the memorable moments of the day.
To connect with the viewer and make the broadcast interactive, viewers will be able to participate in various contests and win prizes though the SMS Integration planned for this season.
THE BIG RACES:
Radio Mirchi Indian 1000 Guineas, 2000 Guineas, BCCL-Procam Indian Oaks, McDowell’s Signature Indian Derby, Poonawalla Breeders’ Multi-Million (all Mumbai); Nanoli Stud Pune Derby, Kingfisher Indian St.Leger (Pune); Indian Invitation Cup, Kingfisher Bangalore Derby, Colts & Fillies Stakes (Bangalore); Kolkata Derby and Hyderabad Derby.
