Seven West Media today announced a long-term, multi-platform media rights agreement with Magic Millions Sales Pty Ltd to broadcast and promote the Jeep Magic Millions Raceday held annually in January on Queensland’s Gold Coast.
The multiple year partnership agreement between Seven and Magic Millions for January Raceday and January Carnivals commences today.
Saul Shtein, Seven’s Head of Sport, said: “We are delighted to be the network of the Magic Millions. It adds further depth to our horse racing portfolio and provides a tremendous launch for our year covering the biggest races. Importantly, the signing of the Magic Millions reaffirms a key strategy in our future: a focus on live coverage of major sports events across our broadcast television platform and leveraging and expanding that presence into new forms of content delivery.”
Kurt Burnette, Seven’s Chief Revenue Officer, said: “The partnership with the Magic Million delivers Seven another big event from early next year and forms a key part of our long-term strategy to further strengthen not only our sports portfolio, but also create significant long-term opportunities for our marketing partners.”
Channel Seven Brisbane Managing Director, Max Walters said: “Our partnership with Magic Millions is wonderful news for Seven, both on the Gold Coast and more widely, throughout Queensland and Australia. The Magic Millions is an iconic component of thoroughbred racing and complements the Network’s existing coverage of the Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne racing carnivals. Seven is committed to bringing high-quality sport to Australian audiences free of charge and our sponsorship of the Magic Millions is yet another example of that commitment.
Locally, Seven is committed to the Gold Coast and we look forward to a great association with Magic Millions on our journey to the Commonwealth Games in 2018.”
Magic Millions Co-owner Gerry Harvey commented on the Seven agreement, “Seven is Australia’s pre-eminent thoroughbred racing broadcaster and Magic Millions is Queensland’s richest raceday. Today’s announcement is a perfect partnership.
“Seven’s recent announcement of a long-term, multi-platform broadcast rights agreement with the Olympic Games and the broadcast rights to the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, is a testament to its global standing in premium sport. To join Seven’s stable of elite sport and racing properties is a privilege and one which reflects the national and international recognition and standard achieved by our event to date.
“Our multi-year, multi-platform deal will give both parties the opportunity to trial new coverage techniques and delivery platforms to bring our Gold Coast-based raceday to hundreds of thousands more people in more time-zones, both live and in replay.”
Leadership in Sports
Seven is focused on delivering the biggest sports events to all Australians. Seven will broadcast the Games of the XXXI Olympiad in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, the XXIII Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang in 2018, the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo in 2020. There is also an option which, if exercised, extends the rights to include the XXIV Olympic Winter Games in 2022 and the XXXIII Olympic Games in 2024. And Seven’s agreement for all-encompassing coverage of the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in 2018 builds on this long-term commitment to the Olympic Games and Olympic Winter Games, and joins the National Football League, including the Super Bowl, The US Masters and Wimbledon as major international sports franchises for Seven. Seven also has all-encompassing agreements for coverage of the Australian Football League Premiership Season, Finals Series, the Grand Final and Brownlow Medal, V8 Supercars including the Bathurst 1000, the Bathurst 12 Hour Endurance Race, all major horse racing events including the Sydney Easter Carnival, the Melbourne Spring Carnival and the Melbourne Cup Carnival, the Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race, all major Australian golf tournaments, including the Open and the Masters, all major iron man and triathlon events, and all major tennis tournaments in Australia including The Australian Open and The Davis Cup.
About the Jeep Magic Millions Carnival, Sale and Raceday
The Jeep Magic Millions Carnival, Sale and Raceday is a unique, world-class, thoroughbred racing and carnival experience, which is celebrated in January each year on Queensland’s stunning Gold Coast.
Magic Millions pioneered the concept of combining elite thoroughbred yearling auctions with incentive based horse racing – only Magic Millions’ sales graduates can qualify for the lucrative, high-profile January raceday – the richest race day on the Queensland calendar and the world’s richest incentive based race day, with prizemoney on offer of AU$4.7 million.
Magic Millions has developed an outstanding profile and reputation for excellence and innovation. Magic Millions founded the Magic Millions Racing Women (MMRW) concept – a world first incentive to promote racehorse ownership amongst females. The MMRW Bonus of AU$500,000 is distributed between the first four all-female owned or leased horses in finishing order in the Jeep Magic Millions 2YO Classic, in addition to race prize-money of AU$2 million. The MMRW incentive bonus was made available for the first time at the 2013 Carnival where the winning horse collected AU$1,465,000 for winning the race and the Bonus incentive, making history with the most prize-money ever won by a horse in Queensland. After just two years in operation the MMRW initiative has generated the registrations of over 200 horses wholly owned or leased by women with AU$1 million shared amongst the female owners of eight horses.
Co-owners, Gerry Harvey and Katie Page-Harvey have enlisted Australia’s foremost event design and staging elite to create a raceday entertainment experience which is unrivalled in Australia for sophistication, intimacy and flair. VIP race-goers are entertained within the closest track-side hospitality precinct offered at a raceday in Australia.
Magic Millions has gained a world-class reputation for being a leading source of champions to domestic and international racing markets. The highest grossing graduates and their earnings include; 2009 Melbourne Cup winner Shocking ($4,981,275), Golden Slipper winner Pierro($4,536,650), Magic Millions 2YO and Golden Slipper winner Phelan Ready ($3,726,750), and five-time Group One winners Theseo ($3,238,980) and Shoot Out ($3,238,950).
The top five countries of origin for international investment in Magic Millions Yearlings are Hong Kong, South Africa, Singapore, USA and New Zealand. Asia is a prominent buying market in the Magic Millions’ yearling sales series, with Hong Kong, Singapore, Macau, Japan and Malaysia the leading countries represented from the region.
The Gold Coast is renowned for its five-star resorts and hotels, fine dining, luxury shopping precincts and, best of all, some of the most pristine beaches in the world, providing a spectacular backdrop to this unique world-class event.
Magic Millions is truly international, with visitors coming from all over the world for its flagship events on the Gold Coast, the Magic Millions Yearling Carnival, Sale & Raceday and Australasia’s number one National Weanling, Broodmare and Yearling Sale held late May/early June contributes over $20 million in economic benefit to Queensland*.
The Jeep Magic Millions Carnival runs from Friday, January 2nd, 2015 culminating in the Jeep Magic Millions Raceday on Saturday, January 10th, 2015. For further information please visithttp://www.magicmillions.com.au
*Economic and Tourism Value Reports, 2013 June Yearling Sale and 2014 January Raceday and Yearling Sale, Strategic Facts
