21 June 2012
At The Races was named ‘Best Specialist Channel’ last night at the Broadcast Digital Awards 2012 with glowing acclaim from a panel of judges made up of over 40 respected television and production industry executives. Broadcast is the country’s pre-eminent weekly trade publication for the UK television industry and At The Races has now won four times at the prestigious ceremony for UK digital television channels.
ATR was joined on the Winners’ podium this year by MTV (Best Entertainment Channel), Discovery Channel (Best Factual Channel and Best Channel Marketing) and BBC Four (Channel of the Year).
Broadcast commented that At The Races was the judges’ clear favourite in its category despite tough competition from other entrants. Judges loved how the channel talked “directly to its viewers”, noting that interactivity played “a key role in its strategy”. But it was At The Races’ all-round approach, particularly its digital engagement, that helped it edge ahead in the category. In the words of one judge, it was “spot-on for targeted audience appeal, both on the channel and its online support.” A second said it was “a great example of digital storytelling moving from TV to web – a shining beacon of commercial imagination in these lean times.”
Matthew Imi, Chief Executive, At The Races said,
“We’re delighted to receive recognition again at the Broadcast Digital Awards and help bring racing significant profile and prominence amongst mainstream television and media industry audiences. The award is testament to the continuing quality of service and output that ATR delivers on air and online, now enjoyed by more than two million monthly viewers and one and a half million monthly website users. I thank the whole At The Races team as well as our valued racecourse partners for their contribution to this success.”