Churchill signal returns to TVG

The signal from Churchill Downs will be broadcast this fall on Television Games Network for the first time in nearly a decade, according to officials for the track.

The return of the Churchill Downs signal to TVG is the result of a “few phone calls” over the past several days between officials of the track and the television network, according to John Asher, Churchill’s vice president of racing communications. The informal deal will allow TVG to broadcast Churchill’s races throughout the fall meet, which begins Sunday and runs through Nov. 29, Asher said.

“We’re happy to be back in a nice spot on TVG,” Asher said. The two sides have not yet discussed whether Churchill’s spring meet will also be available on the network, Asher said.

Churchill has not been available on TVG since 2006. The following year, Churchill bought a half-stake in TVG’s competitor, HRTV, and races from its tracks were shown on that network from 2007-14.

Early this year, TVG reached a deal to merge with HRTV, and as a result of the merger, it received the broadcast rights for a number of racetracks that had appeared on HRTV. For reasons that are still unclear, races from Churchill’s tracks did not appear on TVG’s two broadcast channels following the merger.

Churchill had sold its half-share in HRTV to The Stronach Group in 2014. The Stronach Group is the private company that bought the assets of HRTV’s former owner, MI Developments, when that publicly traded company went bankrupt.

Since buying HRTV, TVG has combined the operations of the two networks while still maintaining both channels. This week, TVG announced that HRTV would be rebranded as TVG2.