(Edited Keeneland release)
Keeneland announced Oct. 2 that it will provide simulcasting in high definition, beginning with its fall race meeting, to be held Oct. 9-31.
Keeneland Broadcast Services will produce a full 15-camera HD production for every race, which will be offered to all simulcast sites through Roberts Communications Network.
"Today viewers have come to expect the clarity and quality of high definition television not only at home but at every sports and entertainment venue," said G.D. Hieronymus, Keeneland’s director of broadcast services. "Thoroughbred racing must invest in HD and consider all avenues of distribution. Roberts Communications Network has made that distribution commitment for the future, and it’s our responsibility to provide content at its highest level.
"The availability of Keeneland’s HD simulcast, along with other tracks already providing simulcasts in HD, will allow us to offer racing fans premium content on a year-round basis in high definition – a big breakthrough in the process," said Todd Roberts, president and CEO of Roberts Communications Network.
The move marks another step in the multi-year expansion of Keeneland’s HD technology. The track embarked on the process in the fall of 2006, installing the infrastructure to support HD technology as part of the massive Polytrack renovation. At that time, Keeneland formed a strategic alliance with Thomson Grass Valley, purchasing HD cameras.
Last fall, Keeneland became the first racetrack in North America to provide live, closed-circuit race coverage and limited simulcasts in HD format.