Polo has always been a sport that is better experienced in person, but this week brought some welcome news for those of us who also love watching it on screen. beIN Sports and U.S. Polo Assn. announced a new partnership to broadcast polo in 12 markets around the world.
The World of Polo Series
The new World of Polo Series will run from May to December 2021. It consists of eight monthly programmes, each lasting 26 minutes and showing polo action from different parts of the world. The United States is one of the markets, together with Canada, Turkey, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, East Timor and Hong Kong.
Building on the Polo Rider Cup
The announcement follows beIN’s earlier decision to take the 2021 Polo Rider Cup in the same twelve markets. The Rider Cup draw was held on Zoom from the Polo Club of Chantilly in France the day before the news broke, so teams now know their opponents for the season ahead.
Fans can also watch Inside the Boards, Best of the Week and The Vault archives for free on Global Polo TV.
What it means for the sport
J. Michael Prince, President and CEO of USPA Global Licensing, said the partnership would help reach more polo fans worldwide and attract new audiences. He also pointed out that beIN’s core markets fit well with the U.S. Polo Assn. brand’s global apparel presence, which tells us a lot about the commercial thinking behind the move.
We see this as a positive sign. Throughout the past year, with spectators kept away from many grounds, broadcast and streaming have been how most people followed the sport. Packaging polo into short, accessible programmes may help bring in viewers who have never been near a polo ground, and that is good for clubs, players and breeders in the long run.
It is still early days, and how the series looks will become clear when the first episodes air. Even so, a major international broadcaster committing to regular polo coverage, across several continents, is a good sign for the sport as the summer season gets going.
Sources: Advanced Television, Polo+10
