International equestrian sports network Horse & Country TV (H&C) has acquired US equestrian streaming provider EQ Sports Net (EQSN), a deal it says will offer fans of the sport an experience unmatched by any other platform.
EQSN provides more than 100 days of live and on-demand coverage of some of the top competitions in North America, including the USHJA International Hunter Derby Championship, the Pennsylvania National Horse Show, the Great Meadow International Three-Day Event, and the National Collegiate Equestrian Association Championships.
Subscribers to H&C can now watch all the live events streamed by EQSN plus H&C’s premium linear channel and 1,200 hours of on-demand programming for a monthly price of $9.99 (€9). Subscribers to the Gold Plan can also access the searchable archive of EQSN events.
H&C currently brings viewers live coverage of events including the Rolex Grand Slam of Showjumping, the Longines Lumühlen Horse Trials, and the London International Horse Show from Olympia.
London-based H&C said that, of 20 million regular riders worldwide, 5.6 million are in the US and Canada, where the equestrian sector, excluding racing, contributes $50bn a year to US GDP.
Heather Killen, chief executive of H&C, added: “Teaming up with EQ Sports Net represents an opportunity for H&C to deepen its commitment to the North American market, in conjunction with the best production outfit in the sport today.
“We believe that combining EQSN’s live sports coverage with H&C’s multi-platform digital OTT services and deep content resources will offer fans of the sport an experience unmatched by any other provider.”