RACING Post Greyhound TV has signed a three-year deal with Arena Racing Company (Arc) for content from January 1 onwards.

As a result, it will be all change for RPGTV from the start of 2018 with only Crayford, Newcastle, Peterborough, Sunderland and Towcester remaining from tracks currently on the roster. Nottingham, Poole, Sheffield and Yarmouth will be included for the first time.

Kevan Moretti, executive producer of RPGTV since the free-to-air channel’s launch in December 2011, who is now adding the roles of chairman and chief executive of GTV Ltd, said: “After an extensive process we are pleased to announce that GTV Limited, the company which commissions the programme RPGTV, has reached an agreement in principle with Arena Racing Company (ARC) for the supply of 13 fixtures, seven evenings a week to RPGTV from January 1.

“This announcement marks the ending of that process and the beginning of a very new-look RPGTV for 2018.

“One important step forward for GTV out of these arrangements is that RPGTV will have two new Sunday evening race meetings from Poole and Towcester, taking RPGTV to broadcasting 14 fixtures per week, two meetings every night.”

Arc’s betting shop arm, The Racing Partnership, launches a greyhound service on January 1 but the agreement with GTV also delivers a selection of RPGTV-only content – there will be 164 Arc fixtures in the service annually that will be unique to RPGTV.

With Crayford, the only remaining bookmaker-owned track to feature, continuing to run on a Saturday evening Independently as an RPGTV fixture, RPGTV will have in excess of 200 unique fixtures per year.

Opening night for the new-look RPGTV will be on January 1, with the first broadcast being a solo fixture from Nottingham on the evening of New Year’s Day.

Arena Racing Company chief executive Martin Cruddace said: “We are delighted that RPGTV has chosen Greyhound Media Group [the track grouping aligned to Arc] as the supplier for its fantastic evening service.

“We look forward to providing greyhound racing from long-established tracks with a proven record on integrity and welfare. RPGTV is an essential part of maintaining the popularity of the sport.”

Broadcast times for RPGTV will change on Mondays to Fridays, with a 6pm start (from 7pm) and 10pm finish. Sunday shows will be 6pmthrough to 10pm, while the Saturday broadcast will be 7pm to 11pm.

The agreements between ARC and RPGTV are expected to be finalised before December 31.