The announcement that RPGTV is to return with a rejigged format will be welcomed by many greyhound fans.
There has seemingly been a tough negotiation between the media providers and the RPGTV executive. Although I have expressed some reservations about aspects of the programme, it does bring value to the industry in a variety of ways.
It offers owners a chance to see their dogs run from the comfort of their armchairs, including some who might not own greyhounds without it. It brings some additional cash into the industry in terms of prize money, it provides much needed sponsorship, and pays the bar bills for a small group of greyhound writers and broadcasters.
But is it doing enough? Do we take the ‘something is better than nothing’ approach, or do we have a right to say ‘you are selling the industry short!’
Let’s talk cash. How much do the tracks get paid for hosting an RPGTV meeting?
Having done a great deal of digging, I can’t definitively put a price on it, but if we work to a figure of £5K for a night’s racing, (some may get £5,200, plus the GBGB’s special license fee) you are not far out – at least that was roughly the figure prior to lockdown.
The reason that I can’t be specific is because the tracks themselves, don’t actually benefit, with the exception of Crayford on a Saturday (not on the revised schedule). All the other meetings are ‘owned’ by the media providers, the vast majority by ARC. In other words, RPGTV don’t pay the tracks directly, they pay either ARC or SIS.
So the figure of £5K is slightly irrelevant to the tracks, who actually only get a proportion of it.
The first question. Is £5,000 (approx) spread between six bookmaking companies, for 12 races, not taking the piss? In other words, £70 per bookmaker per race (on average). Although they almost certainly pay more than a sixth, just look how much Betfair typically turn over on an average meeting!
Now my first reaction was to blame the bookies for this threadbare funding. However, a much wiser head than mine suggested I was looking at the whole thing in the wrong way.
He said: “RPGTV effectively say, ‘here is the budget for a year, which may be £100K per week, £5m per year, split that between the six of you, and you can each pay according to your level of profits.'”
So who is to blame for such a derisory sum of money?
The answer might lay back in history when the introduction of RPGTV was an absolute bonus to the small track who appeared on it (twice a week format?). They were racing on those nights anyway, possibly on a midweek meeting, with no BAGS contract. Would you like a couple of grand on top? Lovely jubbley!
Over a period of time, crowds fell away, and midweek meeting could only be sustained if supported by a BAGS/SIS meeting. But the RPGTV financial commitment has never reflected that.
Look at the sums. Even assuming that RPGTV paid £5,200, and the £480 special license fee, take out prize money, trainers bonuses, staffing, electric, veterinary cover etc etc, it would be almost impossible to break even. For the tracks paying the better prize money, they couldn’t even come close.
In other words, RPGTV leeches off the BAGS/SIS fixtures.
Imagine the scenario at Peterborough. One meeting, total income for the week, including an RPGTV cash, probably around £11K, that is before all the expenses, including prize money and trainer bonuses and not a customer walking through the gate. They would be doing their financial brains, for months and months ahead. As would Poole.
I don’t know how much of the money paid by the bookies goes into running the RPGTV studio and paying for the channel, though it clearly doesn’t even stretch to an HD signal.
I accept that a number of you lockdown prisoners will take exception to my views – your prerogative – and will be thrilled to watch 20 graded races each night next week while I will be riveted to some slowly drying Magnolia (buttercup white).
As you do though – cast an eye at the prize money. Some of those dogs will be running for £25.
