Why Linear Coverage Matters for the Future of Equestrian Sport

On 8 March, Switzerland will vote on the Anti-SSR Initiative, a moment that has prompted renewed discussion about the role of public service broadcasting and its place in modern sport. For those of us working within the equestrian industry, it also provides an important opportunity to step back and reflect on something far broader than one national vote: How visibility, accessibility and broadcast reach directly shape the long-term health of any sport.

This is not a political stance, but an industry reality. The fact is that sport does not survive on participation alone: It survives on audiences. Without consistent exposure, even the most established disciplines struggle to grow, attract investment, or inspire the next generation.

We see this clearly across football, cricket, tennis and other globally recognised sports. They are not only competing internally for attention, but externally against an ever-expanding entertainment landscape. Equestrian sport faces the same pressures, while also competing within its own ecosystem across racing, Fédération Équestre Internationale recognised disciplines, Western sport and regional formats. Visibility is what connects these worlds to the public, and audiences are the foundation of everything that follows.

Broadcast Visibility, Fan Engagement, and the Long-Term Health of Sport

Equestrian sport is already one of the most participated-in sports across Europe, and in several countries it commands enormous public interest. In the UK, horse racing is second only to Premier League football for live attendance. In France, equestrian sport consistently ranks among the most popular sports for women, while riding schools and grassroots participation remain deeply embedded in local communities across Germany, the Netherlands and Scandinavia.

Yet despite this scale, our sports often remain under-represented in mainstream media when compared to other sports with similar (or lower) participation numbers. This matters because discovery matters. Terrestrial, free-to-air sport has historically been the gateway through which audiences first encounter athletes, disciplines and events. It is how casual viewers become fans, and how young people discover sports they might never otherwise see. When coverage moves exclusively behind paywalls, that gateway narrows.

Subscription platforms absolutely have their place, particularly for dedicated followers, but they are not a substitute for broad, mainstream exposure. Putting sport entirely behind paid access creates a barrier to entry. It limits spontaneous discovery and disproportionately affects younger audiences and families, who are already navigating fragmented viewing habits and rising subscription fatigue. For equestrian sports, which continue to battle perception issues and limited public understanding, reducing accessibility only deepens that challenge.

What Other Sports Can Teach Us About Broadcast Accessibility

In the early 2000s, cricket in the UK moved almost entirely behind the Sky Sports paywall. While this delivered short-term commercial gains, it also dramatically reduced free public access to the game. A generation of children grew up without seeing cricket on mainstream television, and participation rates among young people declined as visibility faded. Years later, the sport acknowledged this impact and worked to restore free-to-air coverage for key moments, recognising that long-term audience development had been compromised.

French football provides another cautionary example. In recent years, broadcast instability surrounding Ligue 1, led to reduced distribution and uncertainty around media rights, directly affecting club revenues and valuations. When visibility declines, commercial confidence follows, and as a result, the value of the clubs reduced. Broadcast reach is not simply about viewership numbers; it underpins sponsorship, investment and financial stability across entire ecosystems.

Even globally dominant properties such as Formula One demonstrate the importance of balancing premium content with mass accessibility. Its recent growth has been driven not just by subscription platforms, but by strategic storytelling, social distribution and continued mainstream broadcast presence that brings new fans into the sport.

Tennis offers a further illustration. Events like Wimbledon remain cultural moments precisely because they are freely accessible to large national audiences. Families and friends watch together, casual viewers tune in, and new fans are created because the event becomes an annual event in the calendar. That collective experience cannot be replicated through niche platforms alone.

Visibility Shapes Perception, Reputation and Aspiration

Broadcast exposure also plays a central role in shaping how a sport is perceived.

Equestrian sport has an image problem in many markets, often misunderstood by those outside the industry, as well as many within it. Increased visibility allows the sport to tell the full story, providing context, education and narrative, and in doing so, broadcast becomes more than entertainment; it becomes reputation management. Without this visibility, misconceptions persist, and the sport loses control of how it is represented.

Linear coverage also drives aspiration, because young athletes do not emerge in isolation. They are inspired by what they see. Riders, grooms, trainers and owners often trace their passion back to moments of televised sport, whether that was watching Olympic competition, a major Grand Prix, or racing coverage with family. Those shared experiences create emotional connection, memory and ambition.

Remove linear broadcasting from the equation, and those moments become fragmented, harder to access, and easier to miss.

The Economic Impact of Mainstream Sport Coverage

There is also a significant economic dimension, as media exposure directly influences inward investment. Brands and commercial partners follow audiences, and broad coverage opens doors for sponsorship, partnerships and wider collaboration. Limited visibility, on the other hand, reduces commercial appeal. Although equestrian sport largely has a multi-platform, multi-content strategy, the sport is not immune to this dynamic.

Events also depend on visibility to attract sponsors and spectators, but it also has a direct and indirect effect on local economies around showgrounds. These economies benefit from televised competitions through tourism, hospitality, accommodation and regional awareness, quite simply because broadcast sport creates ripple effects that extend far beyond the arena, ultimately supporting jobs, businesses and communities.

At the same time, equestrian sport is uniquely well-suited to modern content consumption. Jump-offs, decisive moments, class summaries and behind-the-scenes storytelling lend themselves naturally to the formats younger audiences, in particular, want to digest. However, relying entirely on social media and streaming platforms isn’t enough, as those touchpoints work best when supported by a strong linear backbone. Terrestrial coverage provides the credibility, scale and shared experience that social media alone cannot replicate. It legitimises sport in the public eye and gives digital content something meaningful to amplify.

Think about the Olympics. Families gather, memories are made, and athletes become household names overnight. That collective experience is powerful, aspirational and legacy-building. 

Finding Balance Between Streaming and Terrestrial TV

Linear coverage is not outdated, it is foundational. Equestrian has, in many ways, always operated outside traditional broadcast norms. It adapted early to multi-platform distribution, niche channels and subscription models. This flexibility is a strength, and specialist platforms play an important role in serving committed audiences and providing depth of coverage, but they are not the shop window for the sport.

But mainstream visibility still matters, and perhaps more now than before. The recent decision around the anti-SSR vote highlighted by CHI Geneva brings this into focus. Regardless of national outcomes, the broader conversation is one the global equestrian community must continue to engage with: How we balance digital innovation with mass accessibility, and how we protect the pathways that introduce new fans to the sport.

There is room for both paywalled streaming and terrestrial television. Content distribution and media rights remain fundamental revenue drivers across sport. But equestrian already operates with comparatively limited linear support, relying heavily on fragmented digital strategies. Further erosion of mainstream coverage risks shrinking audiences at a time when competition for attention has never been fiercer.

Ensuring a Sustainable Future for Equestrian Sport

If we are serious about the long-term good and health of equestrian sport, we must think carefully about formats, distribution and what they deliver not just to riders, trainers and owners, but to the public. Sport survives when people can see it, connect with it, and feel part of it.

At EQuerry Co, we believe visibility is strategy, and access is growth. And the future of equestrian depends on ensuring the sport remains open, discoverable and culturally relevant in a rapidly changing media landscape.