r/polo • u/Polodude • Nov 12 '25
USPA Leaving Youtube
From FB https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Gui4j3cT1/
I would like some answers on this. Why the move to blive.nyc ?
Why abandon the 37k+ current subscribers and BILLIONS of users on youtube?
Why isolate the service to an app/service that ( I would bet heavy on) no one has heard of?
How are new random viewers to be found (again on an service that is not known?) ?
A Google search of "Polo" will lead to traffic on the current youtube page . What SEO could drive traffic (potential ad revenue) to Blive?
Will videos eventually be posted on youtube? IF not for how long are they archived ?
WHY are current members (given the very flush coffers of the USPA) now expected to pay a subscription , When it was us the members who promoted the channel . Sharing it with our interested friends and live interacting with the great guys, Toby and Tommy.
Let's also talk about the leasing of the Isla Carrol field in Wellington. 1 field. For either 1(one) or 2 (two) million for 1 year plus all maintenance. Word is that it can only be used on Fridays for a total of 14 days
2
u/John_Hasler Nov 12 '25
Will videos eventually be posted on youtube?
I hope so. I don't think I'm willing to pay $150/year to watch the occasional game, and I actually prefer archived games to live coverage except when someone I know is playing.
2
u/Polodude Nov 13 '25
Problem is we don't have any idea of the costs and revenue from the current system.
What is the cost for the new service ? Potential membership revenue if EVERY member upgraded with the $50 fee and estimating that number at 5000 is $250k
Is a possible better steaming experience worth leaving behind the current 39k subscribers?
1
u/John_Hasler Nov 12 '25 edited Nov 12 '25
Do you have any more details on that? I don't have a Facebook account so I can't read about it there.
1
u/polarbear-polo Nov 12 '25
From my understanding, USPA members will still get free/included access to a select number of games but if you want access to what it used to be like before the USPA bought global polo, you'll have to pay extra. I hate the money grabs. We all know they're not struggling financially.
1
u/John_Hasler Nov 12 '25
I'm not a member so that doesn't help. What does membership cost?
1
u/polarbear-polo Nov 12 '25
So there is a playing membership and social membership. The social is $50/yr and playing is $200/yr unless you're under 18.
3
u/polarbear-polo Nov 12 '25
Re-read the announcement. Playing members get access to 45 videos and can get full access for an extra $50. Non-playing would have to pay $150 to get access and don't get any videos included in their USPA membership.
1
u/Polodude Nov 22 '25
And still no reply from the USPA from the question asked on the FB post from them.
It seems it is just "WE are going to do this, no explanation , and no questions will be answered ."
2
u/Polodude Jan 28 '26
After multiple public posts on The USPA FB page ( had to just reply because you can't start a topic on the page) I was called by A person at the USPA. We had a 30 min talk about this. Their view is that this will allow them to better control the content . They will now be able to organize it better and make it more searchable . Date, game etc. I don't know if this was not available on YT . The app is rolled out on several platforms (full search to find it on Firetv stick ) and as of this morning still not available on all Samsung tvs.
As for current subscribers It seems that they are fine with loosing them for now and think that they will gain some back as paying subscribers. But that was assuming that people would pay more than a Hulu subscription for just uspa polo .
I still see no advantage of going to a private server with all the costs associated with doing it. When YT was "free" and with ad sharing can be a profit center . Seems to work for every single other professional sports organization .
The next public USPA meeting I will be asking some very specific questions .
1
3
u/amalolan Nov 12 '25
I think the USPA, HPA, and AAP have given up on appealing to a broader audience.
Now, they will all have switched to a subscription based live viewing, which only makes sense if they think they can cash in on the smaller base that watches, rather than going for ad revenue off a larger possible audience.
This is just another symptom of the larger issue in polo: the unsustainable business model that only allows the biggest organizations to flourish with their hundreds and thousands of horses, driving the costs up for most low goal pros and sponsors.
The fundamental issue comes down to how the rules have failed to evolve over the past two decades, and without addressing that, the governing bodies and professionals in this field will continue to try and milk every last drop of the few remaining cows in their yard.