Turf TV has come a long way since its launch back in 2007 and is now determined to put its controversial past behind it. Betview's David Stewart talks business with the broadcaster's managing director Adrian Ford

Tempestuous is described in the dictionary as 'not peaceful' and a 'stormy marriage'. It's also the word that singularly best described Turf TV's arrival onto the UK bookmaking scene in 2007.

There was certainly no romance before marriage – bookmakers not only complained bitterly about the arrival of Turf TV but lost a costly court case against its very existence and it's now a part of Turf TV's heritage that managing director Adrian Ford is keen to consign to the history books.

Indeed, he has good reasons for doing so. Three years on the company now has 95 per cent of bookmakers signed up and heads into 2012 with a new look, new studios and, most importantly for bookmakers, a new pricing structure which for the first time removes the prerequisite for them to have the service across every single shop within a company's estate.

Ford, 48, has been at the helm of Turf TV since joining the company as its first managing director in October 2009. He lives in Cambridge, a fair way from the company headquarters in Teddington, South West London. He is married with three children and describes the worst part of his job as the daily train commute from Waterloo Station to Teddington.

His hobbies include sport of most kinds but more watching than participating these days, admitting: 'I used to be a practitioner but I'm afraid the body is giving up the ghost and falling to bits.'

He supports Barclays Premier League side Arsenal – which is hardly surprising. Before joining Turf TV, Ford was commercial director at the North London club for a period of nearly seven years which straddled the period of the move from Highbury to the Emirates. Of Arsenal's current form Ford says: 'It's been a turbulent start to the season but good to see the form settling down and unlike the two halves of Manchester we are still in the UEFA Champions League!'

Prior to his lengthy stint at Arsenal, Ford had experience at both Sky and Coral Bookmakers and it was this exposure to sport, TV and betting that convinced him that this was the business he wanted to be involved in.

He found out about the opportunity at Turf TV through a head hunter and the attractions of the role were immediately apparent.

'It was a managing director role and at this stage of my career I was keen to progress to run a business,' he says. 'It was also an industry in which I had prior interest and experience in and centred around horse racing which is a sport I enjoy following and attending. These ingredients all made it an attractive proposition.'

Turf TV is owned jointly between Timeweave plc (previously Alphameric plc) and the 31 participating racecourses that Turf TV broadcasts the rights to. The courses are the same 30 courses that Racing UK provide pictures for, plus Ascot. Prestigious courses in the Turf TV stable include Cheltenham, Newmarket, Aintree, York and Epsom.

That figure of 31 venues will be increasing soon with Turf TV recently clinching deals to carry live coverage of all races from Exeter, Kelso and Perth from May 2012 to 2018.

These are the first three courses to switch broadcasters since Turf TV broke the SIS monopoly on picture and data rights in 2007 and means Turf TV will supply pictures and data from 34 of the 60 British racecourses.

'The Turf TV business model has proved hugely successful to our original 31 courses and we are delighted to welcome Exeter, Kelso and Perth into the AMRAC stable,' says Ford.

Turf TV now has just over 9,900 bookmakers signed up to its service, an estimated 95 per cent of the total market in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Their rights do not permit distribution to any other international jurisdictions.

As well as racing, Turf TV also have a fledgling virtual product with games supplied by Inspired Gaming with associated bookmaker content (cards , results, etc) downloadable through their website. 'We are aware that we have to do things that add value and not clutter,' says Ford. 'We have recently changed our virtual proposition so that it broadcasts before and after racing but not during.'

Given that the company achieved such high market penetration, Ford is pragmatic about stimulating future growth. 'You have to look at short and long term,' he says. 'In the short term it's difficult to see much change as the key media rights are already tied up between ourselves and SIS. From that point of view our job is to continue to improve the product and make it the best incentive for punters to bet on British horse racing. The long term aim is to increase the range of content and customers.'

Of the steady decline in horse racing's market share, Ford has a clear view. 'The betting shop “as was” couldn't survive “as is”with the change in betting tastes and demographics. That's evolution and the way that bookmakers have accelerated the range of product makes perfect business sense and they are all the stronger for doing so. Virtual, FOBTs, football betting and in-play have all contributed to bringing in a new set of customers to the shops.

'That said, it must be remembered that horse racing still brings people through the doors of betting shops and still accounts for a huge amount of the over-the-counter turnover and a key point is that it is this turnover which gets recycled on other products. It's all part of a broad betting mix that appeals to punters.'

Not all bookmakers have signed up with Turf TV, of course. Indeed, in last month's issue of Betview, Northumberland-based independent Howard Chisholm outlined the case for why he still believes Turf TV does not make commercial sense for Chisholm Bookmakers.

Ford is still hopeful that he can convince Chisholm and other non-believers about the benefits that the broadcaster can bring. 'Howard's businesses are based in areas where they enjoy a local monopoly and he is in quite a unique position in the marketplace,' says Ford.

'There's also a political angle in which I feel that Howard believes that horse racing is asking too much for their product and as Turf TV we are tarred with that same brush I guess. He's a smart and logical man but I can't change all the historic problems and I still think we can add value to his business.'

Ford is surprised about how resilient business has been this year with few subscription cancellations. 'Our numbers have held up well but there is no doubt that the forecasts aren't exactly looking rosy for 2012,' he says, and he feels it is the smaller independents who are suffering most. 'We have seen closures but this has been countered by new openings, especially from our anti -piracy programme.'

Ford recently announced a new pricing structure for bookmakers from next year that he claims is fairer and in response to what customers have asked for. 'I like to think we listen, so we have a new structure to the rate card,' he says.

'Previously it has been a term of Turf TV that if you subscribe you're obliged to take the service across your entire estate. Of all the criticism we've had, that has probably been the biggest issue so we are removing this restriction and have created some new bandings based around estate size and minimum number of shops required to have Turf TV.'

Turf TV have also introduced a £250 annual sole trader discount to operators with a single shop and recognising the impact that racing abandonments can have, the company will also provide a rebate for meetings abandoned over a 7.5 per cent threshold.

Legacy loyalty discounts established in 2007 and 2008 are being phased out and will be gone completely by 2013. Ford explains: 'For Turf TV this is quite a significant change to our business terms. Previously we had a very binary business model. We now have more layers which are intended to recognise the demand for more flexibility and a system that is more transparent.

'We've had early discussions with some customers and, allowing for the fact that I don't think I'll ever win any PR awards with bookmakers because of our past, there seems to be a grudging respect that recognises we have listened.'

The company outsources much of its production activities and as a result only has a headcount of 31 people in its head office. 'There was much risk when the business first launched and we took the view early on to outsource to specialists and not take on too much liability,' says Ford. 'Our main partners are Racing UK (TV production), Racetech (pictures from the course), PA Sport (collate and distribute data) and the installation and maintenance of all our equipment in betting shops is outsourced to local contractors. The model works well for us and as a result Turf TV is a very lean organisation.'

The pictures are fed into the same Teddington studio that produces Racing UK but are fed out separately to betting shops with Turf TV branding which has recently undergone a refresh. The Turf TV logo is now more rounded and the on-air content and website turftv.co.uk now reflect these subtle changes.

From next year Turf TV will also have a new broadcasting home with a move to studios in Ealing planned for early in 2012 and a continued progression to high definition pictures.

'We are actively looking to editorialise our service more and share content with RUK on an increasing basis,' says Ford. 'For example, if RUK interview a trainer before a race and we have the time then it will also appear on our Turf TV output.'

Ford sees this as a key differential between his service and that of SIS and also admits that the rivalry is far from friendly. 'There are still some issues in terms of the integration. I don't like and question the legality of the off-tube commentaries that SIS supply.

'I would prefer to have a joined-up conversation with SIS to explore an audio service for independents. This is an area we can collaborate on and another one is data. SIS doesn't allow Turf TV data to go over their network. Off-tube commentaries and unofficial off-course prices are all workarounds to areas in which we can both do better at to satisfy our mutual customers.'

Ford was delighted to see William Hill recently announce a renewal of contracts with Turf TV until 2018 which he viewed as a vote of confidence in racing.

The bookmaker relationship with Turf TV may just be getting upgraded from tempestuous to trusted or at the very least tolerated. As Ford says: 'Even if we are just accepted as a necessary evil , that's better than it was!'