Sydney Marathon to become the latest big TV sports rights fight
Sydney Marathon seems almost certain to become one of the World Marathon Majors after a record-breaking 25,000 entrants competed on Sunday, placing the event in the same rare air as marathons in London, New York, and Tokyo.
Should Sydney join ‘major’ marathons including New York, Tokyo, Boston, Berlin, London and Chicago, it will come after a long candidacy process started in July, 2022.
In order to meet the criteria for inclusion, the marathon must field a minimum of 15,000 entrants over two years. Last year it attracted 17,000 racers, while this weekend’s event well exceeded the threshold. Cape Town and Chengdu are also vying for major marathon status.
Destination NSW has projected that “major status” would see entrants to the marathon grow from this year’s record 25,000 to an estimated 33,300 in 2025, and to 37,800 entrants by 2027.
The Sydney Marathon has grown since the augural race in 1999, which saw 5,300 at the starting line.
Minister for Jobs and Tourism John Graham said becoming a World Marathon Major is “not just about the prestige of the Sydney Marathon joining the big six”, but about “becoming a bucket-list city for runners around the world and the ongoing visitor and economic boost that will provide for NSW.”
As Graham noted, ahead of the race: “More than 840,000 people have applied to run in the London Marathon next year and 320,000 in Tokyo. If Sydney is to join this group, we expect runners from interstate and across the world wanting to take their place on the start line.”
Of course, the increased field in 2024 may simply be the afterglow effect of the recent Olympic and Paralympic Games. But, should Sydney suddenly find itself in possession of yet another world-class sporting event, the battle for television rights are likely to explode.
This year, SBS snared the rights to the race, which aired at the ratings un-friendly time of Sunday from 5.30am to 9.30am AEST.
SBS confirmed to Mumbrella it only held the rights for the 2024 Marathon; the increasing stature of the event may see them priced out of future negotiations by the larger commercial operators.
“This is the critical year for Sydney to gain Marathon Major status,” Graham said. Given the success of the event, and the competitor thresholds having been exceeded, it looks likely that Sydney will take its place alongside the world’s best marathons.
“How could competitors not want to run the most beautiful course in the world?”
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