Dressage-News

LAUSANNE, Switzerland, Apr. 5-The newly launched web video platform, www.feitv.org, is scheduled to broadcast the FEI World Cup Final Dressage Musical Freestyle championship from Las Vegas on April 18 but will not be available “live” to viewers in the United States and some other nations.

The service is also scheduled to broadcast live the Alltech FEI European Championship dressage competitions from Windsor, England Aug. 25-29, 2009, and the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Ky. in 2010.

Because of broadcast restrictions, the “live stream” from Las Vegas will be “geo blocked,” meaning it will not be available for viewing in France, Italy, The Netherlands, Sweden and the USA. Geo blocking is similar to restrictions that are some times imposed on major sporting events in broadcast markets for reasons such as arenas not being sold out.

The video services are currently not available for Apple Macintosh operating systems, according to FEItv.

Archived material on the site that was first announced Mar. 20 includes a profile of the latest Dutch dressage star, Adelinde Cornelissen, and coverage of this year’s dressage World Cup competition at s’Hertogenbusch, The Netherlands.

The International Equestrian Federation (FEI) launched the new broadband video platform FEI.TV in cooperation with UK-based digital media specialist Perform, an innovative sport and entertainment content provider to worldwide audiences.

This unique video website, www.feitv.org, enables the global horse-sport community to watch high quality video from the world’s most prestigious equestrian events from one source.

The service combines live coverage, video on demand, highlights, interviews and equestrian lifestyle features and incorporates an archive segment enabling viewers to look back at favourite rider and horse career-defining moments.

FEI.TV can be accessed through a combination of free-to-air and subscription; content can also be downloaded for quick and easy user access.

Alex McLin, FEI Secretary General, said: “As the international governing body of equestrian sport, it has long been our ambition to find a way of allowing the millions of horsesport enthusiasts from around the world the opportunity of watching the finest FEI events any time, any place.

“We are very optimistic that this platform will not only deliver an excellent service to our existing community but that it will also enable us to reach out for new target groups and in particular strengthen the relationships with younger audiences.”