PHUMELELA GOLD ENTERPRISES MEDIA RELEASE
SUBJECT: PGE enters into partnership with Primedia Sport
DATE: Tuesday 28 July 2009
RELEASED BY: Phumelela Gaming and Leisure Limited
Phumelela Gaming and Leisure Limited and Gold Circle (Pty) Limited, the South African horseracing operators, have entered into a partnership with Primedia Sport to market and promote the sport of thoroughbred horseracing, including the sale of sponsorships, advertising and hospitality.
Primedia Sport will also take over the marketing and promotion of the Summer Cup from this year with the aim of building Phumelela’s premier horseracing event into a major highlight on Johannesburg ’s event calendar, and will be responsible for the sale and provision of hospitality at the raceday.
Major events like the Summer Cup are a significant yet small part of a sport that daily has a huge following in South Africa and an infinitely bigger global audience.
Horseracing is one of the world’s major sports, ranking in the top five most popular sports globally. Some two million South Africans from all walks of life follow horseracing with more than one million visitors to racecourses each year.
The sport enjoys substantial media coverage annually, both in electronic and print media. Horseracing receives some 4,000 hours TV coverage every year and the sport has its own TV channel in South Africa in Tellytrack (channel 232 DStv).
There are also numerous official and independent horseracing publications and internet and mobile sites.
And South African horseracing now reaches far beyond the borders of this country. Phumelela Gold Enterprises (PGE), a joint venture between Phumelela and Gold Circle , broadcasts South African horseracing to more than 40 countries daily through its Racing International TV channel. Racing International is estimated to reach about 100-million viewers per annum.
Given its global footprint and fan base, horseracing offers exciting and varied sponsorship opportunities and Primedia Sport, the holding company for five sports marketing and entertainment brands in Megapro, Warwick, Megaview, Signet and Matchworld, is ideally placed to develop and market sponsorship packages that will deliver exceptional value for sponsors and create new revenue streams for horseracing.
“I am very pleased that we have agreed with Gold Circle to jointly promote and market the sport of horseracing on both a national as well as international basis. We have a long way to go to educate corporates of the value of being associated with the sport of horseracing. Given the popularity of the sport both locally and the international reach that we offer, we believe that we can offer unrivalled advertising and brand awareness value for money to corporates. Our partnership with Primedia Sport is an exciting step forward in this initiative. They rank among the world leaders in sports marketing and hospitality and we believe they are an ideal partner to assist us in maximising our advertising and sponsorship opportunities and growing the Summer Cup into a mega social and tourist attraction,” said Phumelela’s Group CEO Rian du Plessis.
“We also believe that, together with Primedia, we can offer visitors to the Soccer World Cup next year exciting days at our many racecourses on days that they are not able to watch their favourite soccer team and are looking for something else to do,” Du Plessis continued. “Clyde Basel, formerly CEO of the Racing Association, has been appointed to head up the new sales and hospitality division within PGE and he will work closely with Primedia Sport.”
Gold Circle Joint Chairperson John Bescoby said: “ Gold Circle is very pleased to be part of a joint initiative that is going to benefit this wonderful sport of ours.”
Basel said he was looking forward to the challenge of unlocking the value that horseracing offered for selected corporates. “It’s a big challenge, but we offer a wonderful product that is enjoyed by millions of people across the globe daily and that in turn presents unique and cost-effective marketing opportunities for many corporates,” he said.
George Rautenbach, Executive Chairman of Primedia Sport, said: “We are very excited about this agreement and hope as partners that together we can put horseracing on the sports calendar at the highest level.”
Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.
Topic Author
