After receiving several notes of concern from members about the FEI commissioning Getty to provide images from Leipzig the president asked Grania Willis of the FEI to provide an explanation for this development. The following is her response for which we are grateful.
“From the outset, let me make it clear that the FEI has not entered into a long-term agreement with Getty.
The primary objective of using an international agency to produce images for the FEI from the World Cup Finals in Leipzig was to generate interest in equestrian sports in the mainstream media. The FEI needs to reach out, not just to global equestrian communities, but to those who may be enthused to take up the sport, or at least follow the sport, after seeing images in their media channels. We want to increase the fan base for equestrian sports. Similarly, our sponsors wish to achieve visibility outside the traditional equestrian media and we therefore need to explore ways of providing that visibility.
While we do of course wish to continue using the services of the equestrian photographers, the distribution power of Getty is unmatched. It was for this reason that we chose to use them to do images from Leipzig. This was a unique event showcasing four disciplines, so it was a perfect opportunity to capitalise on spreading the message about equestrian sports to a wider audience, and what better way to do it than through powerful images.
We did what other international sports federations do at flagship events and used an agency that can achieve global uptake through its subscribers. While a very small number of equestrian media outlets subscribe to Getty, the vast majority of Getty subscribers are in the mainstream media ââ?¬â?? the target audience for the Getty images from Leipzig.”