THE TOWN'S most famous asset is soon to be relegated way down the digital TV channel listings.

At the end of 2016 ITV secured the rights for Royal Ascot.

In its first year the broadcaster showed an hour of racing each morning on ITV4, with an extended programme on ITV1 on Saturday.

Come June 2018 however, almost all coverage will be on ITV and scheduling will broken up and disrupted.

Horse racing fans can thank the FIFA World Cup for the demotion, with 1pm and 4pm kick-off times falling at the same time as some of Royal Ascot's biggest races.

Gold Cup day will be worst affected, given ITV is televising the match between Denmark and Australia at 1pm before taking France against Peru at 4pm.

The afternoon will be wholly on ITV4 as a consequence.

After seeing a sizeable ratings bump last year, it is expected the event will draw in significantly less viewers as a result of next year's scheduling.