NBC Networks Unite for Most Live U.S. TV Coverage of Equestrian Sports in History

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Universal Sports, NBC Sports and UniversalSports.com to cover more than 80 hours of 2010 World Equestrian Games

September 22, 2010: Universal Sports and NBC Sports are teaming up to provide fans with the most extensive live television coverage of equestrian sports in U.S. history. NBC Sports will air 8 ½ hours of LIVE coverage on three consecutive weekends, beginning this Saturday at 12 Noon ET. Universal Sports will show more than 15 hours LIVE, including the majority of the show jumping competition. Universal Sports will also air taped broadcasts of the Reining Final, the Dressage Freestyle, the Driving competition and the Vaulting Final. The joint effort will include more than 30 hours of live and taped television coverage of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Lexington, KY. This total amount of U.S. television coverage is unprecedented for equestrian sports in this country.

This prestigious international event is being held at Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington from September 25 to October 10. Lexington-area cable operator Insight Communications will offer the Universal Sports network to its subscribers on a trial basis beginning on September 24, allowing local horse enthusiasts to watch the action from start to finish.

The World Equestrian Games is held once every four years, with 2010 marking the first time the event will be held on U.S. soil. The Games feature the best riders and drivers in eight disciplines – dressage, show jumping, eventing, vaulting, reining, driving, endurance and para-equestrian dressage, which involves disabled riders. The 16-day competition is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of visitors to Lexington, a city known as the “Horse Capital of the World.”

All sessions of competition from the three Olympic equestrian disciplines — dressage, eventing and jumping — will be streamed LIVE on UniversalSports.com for a one-time subscription fee of $29.99. A daily purchase option of $12.99 also will be available. Full replays of subscription content will be provided for on-demand viewing. The live streaming begins with dressage (Sept. 27-29, Oct. 1), continues with eventing (Sept. 30, Oct. 1-3) and concludes with jumping (Oct. 4-6, 8-9). For details and a complete schedule of coverage on UniversalSports.com, go to universalsports.com/equestrian.

Additional live coverage of the international disciplines of reining, driving, vaulting, endurance, and recorded coverage of para-equestrian dressage, will air on the United States Equestrian Federation Network at www.USEFNetwork.com. Pay-Per-View coverage of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games will also be offered at www.FEITV.org.

World Equestrian Games Television Schedule

September 26, 2010 Team Reining Competition

Opening Ceremonies

12:00 (NOON) ET – 1:30 PM ET (LIVE) NBC
September 27, 2010 Team Reining Competition 11:00 AM ET – 12:30 PM ET (taped) Universal Sports
October 3, 2010 Show Jumping and Eventing-Cross Country

Freestyle Dressage and Reining Individual

1:00 PM ET – 4:00 PM ET (LIVE)

4:00 PM ET – 6:00 PM ET (LIVE)

NBC
October 4, 2010 Show Jumping Speed Competition 10:00 AM ET – 12:30 PM ET (LIVE)

2:30 PM ET – 5:00 PM ET (LIVE)

Universal Sports
October 5, 2010 Show Jumping Team Competition 10:00 AM ET – 12:30 PM ET (LIVE)

2:30 PM ET – 5:00 PM ET (LIVE)

Universal Sports
October 6, 2010 Show Jumping Team Competition Finals 7:00 PM ET – 9:30 PM ET (LIVE) Universal Sports
October 7, 2010 Eventing Finals

Dressage Freestyle and Reining Individual

11:30 AM ET – 2:30 PM ET (taped)

2:30 PM ET – 4:30 PM ET (taped)

Universal Sports
October 8, 2010 Show Jumping Individual Competition 5:30 PM ET – 7:00 PM ET (LIVE) Universal Sports
October 9, 2010 Show Jumping Final Four 8:00 PM ET – 9:30 PM ET (LIVE) Universal Sports
October 10, 2010 Show Jumping Finals, Vaulting, Driving and

Closing Ceremonies

4:00 PM ET – 6:00 PM ET (LIVE) NBC
October 11, 2010 Show Jumping Finals, Vaulting, Driving and

Closing Ceremonies

11:30 AM ET – 1:30 PM ET (taped) Universal Sports
October 14, 2010 Driving  Finals 6:00 PM ET – 7:00 PM ET (taped) Universal Sports
October 15, 2010 Vaulting Final 6:00 PM ET – 7:00 PM ET (taped) Universal Sports

ABOUT UNIVERSAL SPORTS: Universal Sports, a partnership between NBC Sports and InterMedia Partners, LP, serves as the preeminent multiplatform destination for Olympic-related sports programming on television and online. Universal Sports is available in more than 63 million homes, including all of the nation’s top 10 DMAs. Recent expansion includes launches in Boston, Atlanta, Houston, Miami, Denver, Portland, and Jacksonville. Go to UniversalSports.com for a complete list of TV markets. Major world championship and Olympic qualifying events found on Universal Sports range from track and field, skiing, swimming, gymnastics, marathons and cycling, to volleyball, rowing, triathlon, fencing, speed skating and martial arts. UniversalSports.com delivers an immersive experience via live and on-demand competition coverage, interaction with top athletes through blogs and in-depth access to Olympic sports news and information year-round. For more information on the availability of the Universal Sports 24-hour television channel, please visit UniversalSports.com.

About NBC Sports NBC Sports is synonymous with superior production that elevates the event, broad promotion, and mutually-beneficial partnerships. Known as America’s Olympic Network, NBC has broadcast 12 Olympic Games, more than any other network. Its ability to amass large audiences with broad promotion, particularly for the Olympics, has resulted in NBC Sports broadcasting nine of the top 10 most-watched events in U.S. television history, including the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games which stands at No. 1 all time with 215 million viewers. In 2009, NBC Sports won the prestigious Peabody Award for its production of the Beijing Games and was named ‘Best in Sports Television’ at the Sports Business Awards.

NBC Sports partners with numerous leagues and governing bodies to broadcast some of the most prestigious properties in sports, including: ‘NBC Sunday Night Football,’ which is the premier primetime NFL game of the week; ‘Football Night in America,’ which is the most-watched NFL studio program; Notre Dame football; the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes; the U.S. Open Championship, THE PLAYERS Championship, and the Ryder Cup; the NHL Winter Classic, NHL ‘Game of the Week,’ and NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs and Final; and Wimbledon and the French Open.

Media Contact

Universal Sports

Kevin Endsley, (818-661-4188); kendsley@universalsports.com

NBC Sports

Adam Freifeld, adam.freifeld@nbcuni.com

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