The Xtreme Polo League has agreed a multi-year deal with US media conglomerate WarnerMedia, along with a host of broadcast partnerships, as it prepares to launch in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
XPL has been created as the first professional polo league, with WarnerMedia brought on board to develop a world-class brand. WarnerMedia will handle XPL’s production, content distribution and marketing rights representation worldwide.
Through the multi-year agreement, WarnerMedia will provide exclusive access for fans to watch all matches live through OTT platform B/R Live in the US and Canada; pay-television broadcaster TNT Sports in Argentina; Chilean pay-television channel CDF; and Brazilian digital platform Esporte Interativo.
Pay-television operator DirecTV Latin America will also broadcast the XPL live in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.
XPL’s first tournament will commence tomorrow (Wednesday) and runs through to October 5 at the Pilar Polo Club of the Argentine Polo Association, in Buenos Aires. Six polo teams will compete including three from Argentina, and one each representing Colombia, the United Arab Emirates and India.
Whit Richardson, president of Turner Latin America, said: “We are very excited about the new format developed by XPL, and we look forward to help through the different WarnerMedia properties and territories, in order to generate awareness, audience and business opportunities for the league.”
Juan Zavalia Paunero, Xtreme Polo League’s founder, added: “XPL means action and intensity for the audience, with a faster game, more goals made, more competitive tournaments and unprecedented access for the audience, providing a much more attractive experience than anything we have seen before in the polo world. With WarnerMedia as a strategic partner, we aim to turn the XPL into a world-class sport for a modern and global audience.”
Following this year’s maiden event, the XPL will reportedly stage tournaments next year in Palm Beach (USA); London, England; Paris or Barcelona; and Buenos Aires. Organisers are said to be seeking to add a further two tournaments per year to reach 10 by 2023.