Badminton TV taps Brightcove for horse trials coverage

Badminton TV, a subscription-based internet TV channel that will livestream this year’s Badminton Horse Trials, taking place from May 4-8, has tapped Brightcove to provide technology for the service.  

The Badminton Horse Trials involves riders competing in three separate disciplines – dressage, cross country, and show jumping – over four days.

The 2022 livestream of the event attracted almost 75,000 viewers. This year, Badminton Horse Trials has selected Brightcove as its streaming provider to deliver what the pair describe as a fully-owned experience for fans across the globe.

Subscribers to Badminton TV can access exclusive TV and video coverage from the competition for up to 12 months. This includes the livestream during the event, and previous events hosted in the Badminton TV online service, as well as the course preview programme and the organisers’ visit to the yard of one of the key competitors heading to the 2023 event.

“We selected Brightcove as our livestreaming provider because we wanted an ultra-reliable, secure service that we can scale up to reach a global audience. Brightcove’s features also give us access to real-time viewer analytics, so we can make informed strategic decisions,” said Jane Tuckwell, Badminton Horse Trials event director.

“We have a huge international audience and for every person who can attend the event itself, there are hundreds who want to, but can’t. With Brightcove as our streaming provider, we can give everyone access to the action every single day. Livestreaming broadens our reach beyond terrestrial broadcast and gives us full ownership of our content and how to present it to viewers.”

Shelagh McManus, senior director of international marketing at Brightcove said: “We are excited to support the Badminton Horse Trials as the organisers extend and expand their global audience in real time. The power of livestreaming is significant to entertain and engage fans on a fully-owned platform. With an audience spread across continents, this event is a fantastic example of how major sporting and live events are increasingly producing and owning their content to serve growing global communities.”