Arena Racing Company (“ARC”) is thrilled to announce the launch of a brand new live racing series to be known as ‘Friday Night Live’.
The new initiative has been created in partnership with media and events company INVADES, and will feature five fast-paced Friday night fixtures worth over £200,000 per night with DJ sets between races.
Across six Friday night fixtures, 35 races under lights will be broadcast live across both Sky Sports and ITV Racing, whose coverage will be fronted by Megan Nicholls.
These fixtures will be run under floodlights from January to March 2026, on the following dates, offering high value opportunities for the relevant class.
9th January – Wolverhampton
6th February – Newcastle
20th February – Southwell
20th March – Wolverhampton
27th March – Newcastle
Commenting on the announcement, ARC Group Director of Commercial Strategy, David Leyden Dunbar, said, “The Friday Night Live concept is unapologetically aimed at a new audience who may not have previously engaged with horseracing, and we plan to work with a roster of partners who share a common goal in reaching this audience.”
“Together with the likes of Guinness, Carlsberg and our broadcast partners, the aim is to bring some of our Friday Night Live event activations to life. These are brands who understand the importance of engaging with the next generation of horseracing fans and what it takes to achieve this.”
“We have enjoyed working with Dom and his team at INVADES since 2019, but we think that Friday Night Live represents the next step in terms of engagement with the younger audience that they have done such a great job to develop.”
Controller of ITV Sport Production, Mark Demuth, said, “ITV Racing has consistently been a strong supporter of British horseracing and of new innovations in the sport. We look forward to working with the team at ARC and INVADES to deliver an exciting and engaging new event on Friday nights.”
Founder of INVADES, Dominic Matcham, said, “Friday Night Live is an exciting new concept which we think will further develop the audience that we have been building with ARC and other racecourse operators. We are excited to also work with ITV Racing for the first time and demonstrate to a wider audience what INVADES offers to British racing and other sports.”
‘Friday Night Live’ will be aimed squarely at the 18-25 demographic and this new concept will aim to contribute to the sport’s efforts to engage more with thay audience and convert them into racing fans.
