Free & Paid Horse Racing Live Streaming In UK: What are the Options?

While major racing events like the Cheltenham Festival or the Royal Ascot Festival are always bustling, attending is not always an option for everybody. Even when going to the racecourse is possible, there are those that prefer to follow major races more closely on their screens.

Exciting as the thrill of attending the races in real life is, it would be pointless to deny that the views offered by professional cameras on a giant flat screen are far superior. Whether you are someone who loves the idea of enjoying races from the comfort of your own home, or if it’s because you cannot make it to your next favourite race, here are your best paid and free options for livestreaming horse races in the UK

Racing TV

Racing TV is the leading online channel for livestreaming horse races in the UK, which includes the much-anticipated Cheltenham Festival 2022. Their streams will always follow Sky Channel 426’s broadcast in real time. However, keep in mind that major races may only be accessible to their paid subscribers. Nevertheless, you should be able to livestream less eminent races from there with just a free account. They do not just cover the British horse races, but pretty much all major horse races around the globe. Do remember the fact that if you wish to livestream your favourite race on Racing TV, Sky Sports must have the broadcasting rights to that race. Do a bit of research and see if their schedule covers your favourite event

Betting Sites

Perhaps the most convenient way to livestream sports is to open an account with an online bookmaker. Just in case you don’t have one already, you should be able to get bonus credits for opening a new account. It does not matter which race it is that you are looking to stream; rest assured that your bookmaker site will have a livestream going for all members to enjoy. For example, you will be able to watch the Cheltenham Festival live streaming feed in its entirety on popular bookmaker sites without interruption. While ordinary free feeds will not cover main events such as the Queen Mother Champion Chase (Day 2) or the Cheltenham Gold Cup (Day 4), online bookmakers such as 888 Sport, Betway, Bet365, and the like will keep a livestream going for their members.

However, there will likely be stipulations to gaining this access. Some bookmakers will require new and old members to make a bet of at least £1 on the premium race which they are interested in livestreaming. Others might simply ask that the members maintain a certain amount of credit in their betting account to access the premium horse racing feeds, but betting on them is not mandatory. Explore your options first and see which bookmaker has the best plan for your unique habits.

Freeview

When you are looking to watch horse racing broadcasts online without paying, Freeview is possibly your best bet in that regard. For example, ITV has broadcasting rights to show almost all major British Racing events for free in the UK and you can livestream ITV feeds on Freeview.co.uk. The issue is that ITV often has minimal broadcasting rights, meaning that major races are usually not shown on the channel.

For example, free viewers will be able to livestream the first five races of the Cheltenham Festival 2022 every day (15th – 18th March) via Freeview, but the ITV feed will not cover main events, as those are usually scheduled for later in the evening. That should not stop you from browsing Freeview’s vast catalogue of channels to see whether they have a livestream ready somewhere, which might let you watch the main events for free. Even if it is not available for free, try their On-Demand feature to livestream main events in British horse racing, albeit for a small access fee.

As you may have noticed by now, your options for livestreaming horse races in the UK are not lacking and most of them are free to access. At the same time, if you want to enjoy the main events which usually consists of prestigious and exclusive Group I Races, you will probably have to pay in one way or the other to gain access.