London Legacy, initially only available to BSkyB subscribers, will show 24 sports from the Games, including athletics and cycling

This article is more than 8 years old

This article is more than 8 years old

A new TV channel is launching in the wake of the London 2012 Olympics, providing coverage of sports featured at the Games including judo, gymnastics and fencing.

London Legacy will launch as a 24-hour-a-day channel in November, showing 24 Olympic sports, including athletics, cycling and wrestling.

The channel will initially only be available to BSkyB's satellite TV customers, but is seeking wider distribution.

London Legacy is being launched by Highflyer, the independent TV production company that recently lost its contract to produce Channel 4's racing coverage after nearly 28 years.

John Fairley, chairman of Highflyer, said there was an "enormous opportunity" to make money from televising minority sports after the success of the London Games.

Fairley is attempting to give Highflyer a boost after it was replaced by IMG as the producer of Channel 4's racing coverage earlier this month.

The London Legacy launch is expected to cost Highflyer around £5.5m.

"The amount of athletics on the main channels has been very small, especially when you think of all the disciplines within the athletics, but the games has changed all that," said Fairley.

He added that Highflyer had received "very serious undertakings" to back London Legacy from two or three companies, including one Olympic sponsor.

"There is this enormous opportunity ... and no sign that any of the main broadcasters is going to pick it up and run with it," he said.

A total of 51.9 million people – about 90% of the UK population – watched at least 15 minutes of the London games on the BBC, with many low-profile events spotlighted by the corporation's blanket coverage.

Highflyer, the Yorkshire-based company, was ousted from the Channel 4 Racing production contract when the broadcaster signed a four-year deal for IMG earlier this month.

Channel 4 is expanding its horse racing coverage after winning the rights from the BBC to all the sport's major UK events, including the Derby and the Grand National.

Clare Balding will switch from the BBC's horse racing to be the main presenter for Channel 4's expanded coverage of the sport from next year. Balding is also anchoring Channel 4's Paralympics coverage, starting on 29 August.

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