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The USPA is bringing polo to the people, with telecasts of matches, both on major television networks and through streaming video on the internet, reports Christine Vermes

As all who know and love the game appreciate, there’s no substitute for being at the polo club watching some of the world’s top players battle it out with speed and intensity on any given Sunday. However, the next best thing to being there – and, for many, their first exposure to the sport – is through the medium of video footage. And broadcasts are an important element of the United States Polo Association (USPA) strategy to increase the interest in, and the appreciation of, the sport in America.

The USPA brought the game of kings back to the American airwaves in 2013 after a decades-long hiatus, with the broadcast of the edited highlights of the US Open and Westchester Cup matches on the NBC Sports Network (NBC SN). NBC SN is the 24-hour all-sports cable network owned by NBC – one of the country’s major broadcasting networks that is well known for carrying premier equestrian events such as the Kentucky Derby.

The response from USPA members, not to mention the public at large, was so resoundingly positive that the programme was carried forward into 2014, with the CV Whitney Cup, Central Park Polo Challenge and World Snow Polo Championship highlights telecast on the NBC SN, and the US Open appearing on the main NBC Sports streams.

Most recently, broadcasters carried a 90-minute telecast – previous coverage had been 60 minutes – of the 2015 edition of the tournament, which included the thrilling Valiente vs Orchard Hill game. As well as all the action from the match, which was led by 10-goal powerhouses Adolfo Cambiaso, Facundo Pieres and Polito Pieres, the programme also included behind-the-scenes footage, interviews and a special USPA 125th-anniversary segment on the history of polo in the United States.

The NBC telecasts are produced under the supervision of the USPA, which has striven

to present polo in a manner that delivers the unique speed and excitement of the sport while narrating match-play in a manner that suits both fans and newcomers. The sophisticated, multi-camera production set-up for polo equals and often surpasses that used for other outdoor sports such as baseball – and even incorporates the use of aerial drone technology to better cover the vastness of the polo field.

The USPA’s engagement of Polo Hall of Famer and former 10-goal player Adam Snow as its colour commentator, along with its development of several video shorts that complement the on-field action, has served to provide a deeper appreciation of the game for all viewers. Over the course of this two-year period, the viewing audience for polo telecasts grew by more than 20 per cent, and achieved a level equal to that of NBC’s regular-season National Hockey League telecasts.

The USPA’s officially licensed consumer brand, US Polo Assn., has been an ongoing sponsor of the telecasts, consistent with the organisation’s mission of purposely reinvesting in the sport, and demonstrating the close connection between the sport itself and the USPA’s consumer brand. The perceived authenticity of the US Polo Assn. is a matter of paramount importance to the USPA, because the revenue generated by the sale of its consumer merchandise funds a wide range of programmes promoting polo, particularly the next generation of American players and clubs.

From a marketing perspective, the telecasts provide a natural platform to promote the synergy between the sport and its United States governing body’s officially licensed brand. Polo telecasts reach a large, broad audience with the high level of competition and tradition that epitomises the spirit of the organisaton.

The USPA has recently expanded its video initiative to include relationships with ChukkerTV and Horseplay.tv – two media outlets that specialise in providing video polo coverage over the internet, featuring live and on-demand coverage of a wide range of matches. Already in 2015, both partners have provided coverage of the US high-goal season in Florida, including the US Open, USPA CV Whitney Cup and Piaget USPA Gold Cup, as well as the Townsend International Challenge Cup and the USPA Intercollegiate Polo Championships. Several more tournaments are planned throughout the year, including the East Coast Open and Pacific Coast Open.

Together, the USPA’s relationships with these media outlets gives it the ability to make a large number of great matches available to viewers, some live, some as edited highlights, and virtually all on demand. All events have exceptionally high production values, with the select number of events telecast on NBC being absolutely world-class.

The expansion of the existing USPA remit to make matches available on television and online came about as a direct response to feedback received in a member survey, which identified increasing public awareness and made promotion of the sport a top priority. The programme’s development over the past two years has provided the USPA with a powerful new platform to engage and grow the polo community while building its brands. nbcsports.com; chukker.tv; horseplay.tv

Previous page 10-goaler Adam Snow, USPA’s colour commentator, interviews Adolfo Cambiaso for NBC SN. Left ChukkerTV ofers live, on-demand internet videos