O Canada, pic from Camp Canada, Maizey Manor Farm, by Catherine Burrell
Update: I just received word that the BBC online footage will be the same as the FEI TV feed. The BBC video will be available for free but only in the UK, and the rest of us will only be able to watch it online if we pay to subscribe to FEI TV.
The specifics of where and how we can watch and follow Badminton online have been a bit of a mystery until now. However, things are starting to come into clearer focus as Badminton releases more information and the competition is now officially underway. Here is a quick synopsis of all the ways to follow Badminton from the comfort of your home this great holiday weekend:
Watch Online: There are two ways to watch Badminton cross-country and show jumping online, but no one is streaming the dressage phase. The first way, which we have known about for a while, is via FET TV. FEI TV is a fee-based service, but they offer on-demand streaming, meaning that you will be able to watch the cross-country and show jumping online whenever you want to. FEI TV costs $16 for a day pass and $30 for a monthly pass so it looks like if you want to watch both the cross-country and show jumping you will be out $30. I haven’t paid for FET TV before, but I have heard good things.
[FEI TV]
The other viewing option, which has just been released on the Badminton website, is that apparently the BBC will be streaming their cross-country and show jumping coverage on the BBC Sports website. I haven’t seen for sure whether or not there will be a fee for this, and there is not a link up on the BBC Sports website yet. The bad news is that BBC Sports programming online is sometimes only available to UK viewers. We will keep you fully updated on this option as we get closer to cross-country on Sunday, but the details are pretty unclear at this point.
[Badminton explanation, BBC Sports]
Online Audio: You can listen to Badminton radio on the website’s homepage by going to www.badminton-horse.co.uk and clicking the Radio Badminton link in the sidebar. You can also listen to on demand interviews with select riders on the audio interview portion of the Badminton website, courtesy of Lloyd Bell.
Live Blogs: The Horse and Hound is offering a great live blog of Badminton. I’m sure you have seen the format on EN before and we are also carrying the live blog here on EN courtesy of the Horse and Hound.
Photos: [Official Badminton Photos, Nico Morgan]
Websites: Badminton is probably the most thoroughly covered 4* on the planet so all of the regular equestrian media outlets and some irregular outlets are giving it a lot of attention. Here’s a list of the websites that I am constantly checking for Badminton updates.
[SamanthaLClark.com, Horse and Hound, Badminton Homepage, Badminton Blog, H&C Badminton Videos]
[XC overview with videos and pics of every jump]
That’s all for now. It goes without saying that we’ll have all of the top badminton links right here on EN throughout the weekend and through the show jumping on Monday. I’ll be back shortly with a dressage recap and, until then, go Badminton.
