HBA Media expands Breeders’ Cup International Audience
Henry Birtles Associates (HBA) Media has increased global coverage of the championships through both new and established broadcasting partnerships.
With NBC Sports at the helm in the United States, international distribution has been consolidated by HBA Media through a continued commitment from broadcasting giants including Eurosport who will deliver the championships to an audience of 130 million.
A range of other networks including Eurosport Asia, Yas TV, Dubai Racing Channel, Sport Confidential, Match TV, SNTV, Equidia, TSN, Armed Forces Network, Wuhan TV, Shanghai TV, Racing.com and CNN News International will also be broadcasting the Breeders’ Cup World Championships globally, with a total reach of over 420 million households.
HBA Media is the established leader in the promotion of horse racing to the sports media industry providing rights and distribution services to some of the world's best races. In 2016, HBA Media signed a three-year contract to distribute the Breeders’ Cup World Championships internationally. Available programming from the Breeders’ Cup includes two days of NBC Coverage as well a specially produced International Classic Hour (ICH) – an all action live special produced by HBA Media and the Breeders’ Cup to suit the competitive schedules of mainstream global networks.
This year, the sixty-minute ICH show will incorporate brand new Facebook features to complement traditional horse racing content, that will sit alongside a social media community for the ever-growing digital audience. It will contain live coverage of the highly competitive $6M Breeders’ Cup Classic, which has attracted a wide-open field with Accelerate currently listed as the race favorite. Highlights from the Mile and Longines Turf will also be featured.
Henry Birtles, chief executive of HBA Media, said: “Our team relishes this time of year where we are responsible for producing and distributing a number of international shows for horse racing’s pinnacle events.
“The Breeders’ Cup World Championship makes a global impact year upon year and we are delighted to bring the culmination of the racing season to a truly international audience.”