Zug, Switzerland – The International Skating Union (ISU) has chosen Infront as media rights partner for the next four seasons.
The agreement, which runs from the 2019/20 to 2022/23 season, means Infront strengthens its market leading position as the commercial partner of all seven Olympic Winter Sports Federations.
The agreement includes media rights across all territories worldwide with the exception of Canada, China, Japan, Korea and USA to ISU's flagship events – the annual World and European Championships in Speed Skating, Short Track Speed Skating, Figure Skating and Synchronized Skating. It also covers all World Cup and Grand Prix competitions in these disciplines.
In total, Infront will ensure global exposure for more than 120 events during all four seasons, including through both traditional broadcast and digital channels. In order promote the events further and support the growth of all disciplines, Infront's media rights sales approach will include multiple carve-outs providing the ISU with numerous opportunities to exploit selected media rights through their own platforms.
Bruno Marty, Infront Senior Vice President Winter Sports said: ”Our experience working with the Olympic Winter Sports Federations is unique and we are delighted to significantly expand our relationship with the ISU, now with the aim to further the media exposure of the federation's properties. Our network and expertise and our comprehensive approach in marketing a range of content across multiple distribution platforms were deciding factors. Our dedication to ensure maximum exposure for skating is a clear indication of our commitment to this partnership."
Jan Dijkema, ISU President said: "Skating has a global appeal and providing the exciting moments across all disciplines to new and existing fans is one of our core aims. Bringing in Infront as a partner that matches the ISU's passion for the sport underlines our determination to propel our events to new heights including an increasing focus on digital channels for the younger audience. I look forward to working with Infront as we continue to expand the sport to new markets."
Infront is a leading sports marketing company managing a comprehensive portfolio of top properties. Infront covers all aspects of successful sporting events, including the distribution of media rights, sponsorship, media production, event operation and digital solutions. Headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, Infront has a team of more than 1,000 staff working from 39 offices across more than 14 countries, delivering 4,100 event days of top class sport around the world every year. In 2015, Infront was integrated into Wanda Sports Group, part of Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group.