FEI.tv, the streaming platform of the international federation for equestrian sport, is to expand its coverage of equestrian events and offer additional equestrian video content in a deal to take an equity stake in ClipMyHorse.TV, the Germany-based equestrian streaming platform.
Announcing the agreement today (Monday), the FEI said that international, national and local equestrian events would be added to the FEI.tv platform and with commentary in English as well as local languages. FEI.tv subscribers will also now have access to “the largest archive of equestrian video content and an extensive database of information on athletes and horses”.
FEI.tv already offers live streams all major FEI Series and Championships, with an extensive range of replays, special features and historic events.
Ingmar De Vos, the FEI president, described the investment in ClipMyHorse.TV as “the result of open and productive conversations with the founder of ClipMyHorse.TV Mr Klaus Plönzke”.
He continued: “This is the first time the FEI will have an equity stake in a company which will allow us to actively contribute to shaping the narrative around the coverage of equestrian events. By bringing together our collective strengths, we can work towards the development of one combined live streaming service that provides high quality event coverage and a broader range of content to fans.”
In April, the FEI temporarily removed the paywall from FEI.tv (and also provided free archive footage to broadcasters) in response to the calendar shutdown caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The federation’s OTT subscription service generated CHF1.87m (€1.75m/$1.99m) in revenues in 2018. The streaming technology is provided by Endeavor Streaming, the streaming arm of Endeavor, the agency and talent management group that owns IMG.
Markus Detering, chief executive of CMH.tv, said: “The market for OTT and streaming services has grown substantially and we have seen an exponential rise in online viewing. We created the CMH.TV platform in 2007 with the express aim of making horse sport events across the world accessible to fans and followers everywhere and at any time.
“By pooling our resources with the FEI, we will be able to offer equestrian fans a more in-depth and enriching experience that will make the sport even more attractive and to a wider global audience.”
CMH.tv currently charges €16.25 ($18.47) per month for a monthly membership or €149.95 for an annual membership.
FEI commercial director Ralph Straus added: “ClipMyHorse.TV’s comprehensive platform and their extensive experience with production and streaming services within this sector will allow for an improved viewing experience for FEI.TV customers, while the look and feel of FEI.TV will, at least for the moment, stay the same.
“The depth of the combined offering is unique and will provide equestrian fans access to a wide range of events all under one roof, from top international events to local competitions, together with online equestrian magazines, documentaries and other relevant programming.”
The FEI last week published its 2019 financial accounts, which revealed that a total of CHF30.05m was generated in commercial revenues. This comprised CHF27.02m in sponsorship revenues, CHF3m in broadcast revenues and the remaining CHF10,296 from licensing, merchandising and other marketing revenues.