Digital TV News

Watch the 2010 Grand National in high-definition

Tuesday 30 March, 2010

By Becca Talbot - becca@consumerchoices.co.uk

Get your betting slips at the ready as the BBC gears up to broadcast Britain’s biggest horse race in glorious high-definition.

The BBC will show live coverage from all the races and events at this year’s Grand National at Aintree in high-definition (HD) from 8 to 10 April.

Five races will be shown on the Thursday and Friday on BBC 2, and the John Smith’s Grand National will be broadcast on BBC 1 on Saturday, from 1pm.

Jon Ingram, operations director at Digitalchoices.co.uk, said: “This is an exciting first for the BBC, and as the UK’s most-loved horse race, they couldn’t have picked a better event.”

He added: “Viewers will need to have a HD ready TV, as well as a HD set-top box to watch the coverage, though. And if you’re planning to watch it on Freeview HD, you should check whether you’re in an area that can receive the high-definition service at this time.”

BBC HD is a free-to-view high-definition channel, so it is available to all homes with a HD ready TV and a HD set-top box from either Freeview or Freesat, or a subscription package with Sky (www.sky.co.uk) or Virgin Media (www.virginmedia.com).

Clare Balding and Rishi Persad will be presenting the coverage, while former Grand National-winning jockeys Mick Fitzgerald and Richard Dunwoody will give tips and pointers. Commentary will come from Jim McGrath, Ian Bartlett and Darren Owen.

As well as broadcasting in HD, the BBC will be using two new high-speed cameras to capture the action for high speed replays.

The BBC website will show live and on-demand coverage from the Grand National, along with information on all the horses and jockeys. You will also be able to watch the races on the BBC iPlayer, up to a week after being broadcast.