Australia's thirst for live sport has led to horse racing being catapulted to the top of pay tv ratings during the Sydney autumn carnival race days.

As one of the few sports able to continue across most of Australia during the COVID-19 outbreak, racing on the Foxtel platform has thrived.

The Sky Raceday channel has been the most popular on the Foxtel network for the past four Saturdays, outrating shows like Selling Houses Australia by 30 per cent.

Average audiences have risen by almost 40 per cent overall since the autumn carnival kicked off eight weeks ago with the Group One Chipping Norton Stakes race day on February 29.

The results come on the back of strong ratings last autumn when champion Winx had her final campaign before retirement.

Digital audiences have also been engaging with Sky Racing via the TAB App, which had more than one million views on the first day of The Championships at Randwick.

With no crowds permitted on racecourses and venues such as pubs and clubs closed because of the coronavirus, Tabcorp's Darren Pearce says they have worked hard to provide a quality service to punters and viewers at home.

"These are unprecedented times and we are proud of Sky Racing's role in continuing to keep racing fans informed with the best racing vision, talent and tips, as well as reaching new audiences to help racing grow," Pearce said.