Frank McCourt backs US$300m Premier Jumping League plan
“The idea was positioned as here is a sport with a really sort of rich vein of content within it,” Nick McCabe notes of the venture.
Frank McCourt is backing the new US$300 million Premier Jumping League (PJL). The team-based showjumping competition will launch next year across Europe, North America, and the Middle East, aiming to modernize an equestrian discipline that historically struggles for mainstream traction between Olympic cycles.
Building a Hospitality-Driven Venue on the Las Vegas Strip
The inaugural PJL event takes place next April in Las Vegas at a purpose-built venue on the Strip. Unlike traditional equestrian venues, the league selected Vegas to showcase high-end hospitality. McCabe pointed out a severe disconnect in past events where high-profile crowds faced sub-par catering and amenities.
McCourt’s US$300 million investment guarantees the prize money for the next three years, giving the PJL a medium-term foundation to establish itself in the market and build a sustainable model.
League Sells First Team for Fifty Million Dollars
The league plans to operate 16 teams, each comprising five riders with three competing in any single event. Jason McCarthy purchased the first team for US$50 million earlier this year. By way of comparison, SailGP teams initially changed hands for US$5 million to US$10 million in 2019, with the current benchmark set at US$70 million after several seasons of competition.
Business Plan Relies on Sponsorships Instead of Media Rights
The PJL business plan does not include media rights, relying on ticketing, hospitality, hosting fees, and sponsorships until McCourt’s funding dries up in 2030. According to Nikolaus von Doetinchem, tying a new league’s survival strictly to media rights carries excessive risk.
The PJL will assume complete control of the production and is working with Aurora, which manages the global feed for Formula E, to make the remote viewing experience as close as possible to being present in the arena. Planned innovations include ‘shadow’ horse graphics that overlay an image of the event leader onto a current run, flight time data, and the number of strides taken by a horse, supported by a forthcoming docuseries produced by Box to Box Films.
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