Attheraces have announced that they are only interested in acquiring the rights to Sunday fixtures and the major meetings.
Glyn Williams, commercial director for Attheraces, said: 'We've been talking to the Irish racing authorities since last June. They are worried that television coverage has affected attendances, but we've said we're only interested in certain meetings, where crowd figures wouldn't be badly hit.
'Now that there has been no daily Irish racing on television since January 1, I'm told that attendances at small midweek meetings has gone up, so we might be in a better position to do a deal, at the right price.'
Williams said he hoped Irish racing would become a regular part of the Attheraces' Sunday service, mixed with French racing, to complement this year's expanded programme in Britain. He is also negotiating to show late-morning racing from South Africa.
Speaking at Gowran Park races last Thursday, Brian Kavanagh, chief executive of Horse Racing Ireland, said: 'We have received fresh proposals from Attheraces and we will be discussing them at a board meeting of HRI on Monday.'
