WORLD REACH

Global Polo Entertainment has extended its historic streaming agreement with ESPN until the end of 2024, to broaden access to polo around the world, presented by U.S. Polo Assn.

Up until the Covid-19 pandemic, polo was generally only viewed by those close enough to the sport to be able to go to watch the live games as they unfolded. However, when spectators were unable to attend the games in person, an opportunity arose to show polo games via streaming channels, opening it up to a much wider audience.

Over the past year, polo has gained exposure in millions of households on multi-digital channels, thanks to the entertainment and media subsidiary of USPA Global Licensing Inc. (USPAGL), Global Polo

Entertainment (GPE), and the world’s leading sports entertainment brand, ESPN.

The two organisations signed a landmark deal in 2022, that successfully brought polo to the homes of a much larger global audience than it had ever been exposed to before.

In an exciting development for 2023, Global Polo Entertainment has extended its historic relationship with ESPN for two additional years, beginning on 1 January.

‘The USPA views the ESPN relationship with great optimism for attracting an entirely new generation of young men and women to the greatest game on four legs,’ said Stewart Armstrong, chairman of the USPA. ‘The talent of the human athletes will only serve to demonstrate the incredible partnership of two superior athletes, human and equine, competing in an all-out battle of the best, all on the U.S. Polo Assn. eld at the new USPA National Polo Center (NPC), Wellington. It’s going to be a phenomenal season.’

After airing several of the top tournaments in the world in 2022 – including the heartstopping XII Federation of International Polo (FIP) World Polo Championship Opening

Ceremony – the partnership is expected to bring even more exposure to the “best kept secret” in sports. The multi-faceted agreement will again show the nals of top US polo events across ESPN platforms, with games to be distributed on ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, and available on-demand on the ESPN app.

Games aired in 2023 will include the most prestigious tournament in North America – the U.S. Open Polo Championship – as well as the U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship, the Women’s and Men’s National Intercollegiate Championship (NIC) games, and the oldest rivalry in polo, the Westchester Cup played between the US and England.

In addition to the games, ESPN will again stream multiple 25-minute, made-for-TV shows produced by GPE. The Global Polo Show presented by U.S. Polo Assn serves as a behind-the-scenes look into the lives and careers of polo players and horses around the world and will air on beIN Sports, Horse & Country, Clip My Horse and Times of India.

‘We are honoured to collaborate with ESPN, the world’s most in uential sports platform, on a historic relationship,’ said J Michael Prince, president and CEO of USPAGL, which manages the global, multibillion-dollar U.S. Polo Assn. brand. ‘We have set our goal of bringing the sport of polo to millions of sports fans around the world.’

‘By delivering exciting sport and lifestyle content in innovative ways alongside ESPN, we look forward to jointly broadening access to polo in ways that will grow both our sport and the U.S. Polo Assn. brand fanbase for years to come,’ Prince added. ‘Now fans can watch polo on ESPN platforms, as well as in person at the amazing new NPC facility in Wellington, considered the winter equestrian capital of the world.’

One thing’s for sure, wherever you are, you can keep up-to-date with the best polo action.