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See the Grand National live hubHow to watch Grand National Day, in one line
The Grand National is a listed event under UK broadcasting law, which means it must be shown free-to-air on terrestrial television, and ITV holds the rights. You do not need a subscription of any kind to watch the race itself.
ITV's live coverage of Grand National Day runs for the full Saturday afternoon: build-up, supporting races, the paddock and the parade, and then the National itself, before wrapping up with post-race reaction and the last race of the card. The race's own off-time has moved in recent years, most recently to 4:00pm, from the 5:15pm slot it held for a long stretch before that, so treat the exact minute as confirmed closer to the day rather than fixed for good.
Thursday's Aintree Hurdle and Friday's Melling Chase, both Grade 1s in their own right, open the three-day meeting before Saturday's big race. If you cannot get to a TV, this page covers ITVX for free streaming, Racing TV for the full card beyond what ITV shows, and how the coverage works if you are watching from outside the UK.
Where to Bet
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ITV's coverage, and when the National itself goes off
ITV's Grand National Day coverage
ITV1 carries live coverage of the full Saturday card, opening with build-up well before the first race and running through to reaction after the last. The National itself is the day's centrepiece, most recently going off at 4:00pm, though the exact time has shifted before (it ran at 5:15pm for several years up to 2025) and is worth double-checking against ITV's published schedule in the week of the race rather than assuming it repeats year to year.
What the coverage includes
- Every race on the Saturday card, not just the National itself
- Paddock and parade coverage before the National, watching the runners walk round and assessing how they look
- Live betting-market updates on screen through the build-up, useful for spotting where money is moving in the final half hour
- Winner's enclosure interviews with the winning jockey, trainer and connections straight after the race
- Results, replays and studio reaction through the rest of the card
Why the time keeps moving
The National's start time has been adjusted more than once in recent years for broadcast scheduling reasons, most recently shifting from a 5:15pm slot to 4:00pm. There is no fixed rule that guarantees next year's time matches this year's, which is the one truly unusual thing about this race compared with most of the jumps calendar: even the regulars check the time again each spring.
Thursday and Friday
The Aintree Hurdle (Thursday) and the Melling Chase (Friday) are both Grade 1 races in their own right, run as the meeting builds towards Saturday. For the full week's card and declarations, see the Grand National race-times guide.
How to stream Aintree
How to stream the Grand National (UK)
Free streaming: ITVX
As a listed event, the National is free-to-air, and ITVX carries the identical live feed at no cost with a registered UK account, in a browser, on mobile, or through a smart TV or streaming-stick app.
- Cost: Free, with ads. An ad-free ITVX Premium tier is available on subscription.
- Coverage: Matches the linear broadcast, the full Saturday card.
- Account required: Yes, free to create, UK-based.
Paid streaming: Racing TV
Racing TV shows every race across all three days of the meeting, Thursday and Friday included, not just Saturday's ITV-covered card. Useful if you want to follow the Aintree Hurdle and Melling Chase live as well as the National.
- Cost: Subscription through the Racing TV Player.
- Coverage: The full three-day meeting, plus the rest of UK and Irish racing across the season.
Bookmaker streams (free with a placed bet)
Most major UK bookmakers stream Grand National meeting racing to logged-in customers with a funded account and a small stake placed, typically from £1, usually running a short delay behind the live TV broadcast.
Watching outside the UK
The listed-event protection is a UK broadcasting rule, so it does not extend abroad. International audiences typically follow the National through a local channel holding British racing rights in their territory, or through Racing TV's international service where it operates.
Mobile apps and race-time alerts
For following along without a screen in front of you: the ITV Racing app (free) for results, replays and alerts; the Sporting Life app (free) for racecards, tips and race-time notifications; the Racing TV app (subscription) for full three-day streaming on the move; and most bookmaker apps for betting plus live streaming once a stake is placed.
Where to bet on the Grand National
Where to bet on the Grand National
The National is the single biggest betting race of the British year by turnover, and most major bookmakers run meeting-specific offers: extra places on a field of up to 34, Best Odds Guaranteed on the National itself, and Non-Runner-No-Bet cover for anyone betting ante-post before final declarations.
Extra places matter more here than anywhere else
With the deepest field in British racing, the extra-place specials some firms run for the National, paying five, six or more places each-way instead of the standard three or four, are frequently worth more than a headline sign-up offer. See our Grand National betting offers page for the current cross-bookmaker comparison.
For our full preview once the field is declared, see the Grand National tips guide. If you want to see how our own numbers have actually fared before following any of them, the Stablebet model's published track record shows every rated race reconciled at SP, wins and losses alike.
Responsible note
The National pulls in people who back nothing else all year, which is exactly when it pays to be deliberate. Bet only money you can afford to lose, set deposit limits, and take regular breaks. BeGambleAware.org.
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