Explainer: what happened at Bath and why did a media rights war erupt?

Over the last 24 hours tensions between racecourses and bookmakers over media rights payments exploded into the open. Here we explain what happened, why the organisations involved acted the way they did, and consider what might happen next.

What happened on Tuesday evening?

When early prices for Wednesday's meeting at Bath began to appear on Tuesday, it became apparent that two firms, Paddy Power and Sky Bet, were not offering prices. It subsequently was revealed that Flutter, which owns both the bookies concerned, was attempting to bring racecourse operator Arena Racing Company back to the table over media rights payments, which it says are too high, by refusing to bet on the meeting.