Zug, Switzerland – Infront Sports & Media, the exclusive media and marketing partner of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) for the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, has signed a media rights agreement with the Swedish public service broadcaster Sveriges Television (SVT). Swedish ice hockey fans can look forward to six years of top-class ice hockey on free-TV with the contract running until 2023.
The IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship is the biggest annual winter sports event worldwide and brings together the 16 best teams from around the world in April/May of each year. The agreement between Infront and SVT includes the 2018 to 2023 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships as well as the annual IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships Division I Group A and B across the same period. The exclusive rights covered by the agreement include live, delayed, repeat and highlights coverage on free, pay and pay-per-view channels across Sweden.
Per Yng, Head of Sports at SVT, commented: “SVT has always given priority to ice hockey with events such as the IIHF World Junior Championship and IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship. The Swedish national ice hockey team ”Tre Kronor” is one of the most well-known teams in Sweden and SVT has been following it for many, many years. Actually, it was the Ice Hockey World Championship that brought sports coverage onto SVT, so to that end, you could say that the event has finally come home.”
Bruno Marty, Infront’s Executive Director Winter Sports, said: “Sweden is a key territory for the sport of ice hockey, with both national team and club competitions drawing audiences in the millions. Securing long-term visibility for the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship on free-TV was therefore pivotal for us – with SVT now as the home of top-class ice hockey for the coming years. The channel will not only provide live broadcast of many games, but also ensure a high level of background coverage before and after the games – which adds to the exposure for the tournament.”
For the remaining two years of the current media rights cycle, Swedish broadcaster TV4 will continue to cover the tournament extensively. The ongoing partnership with Infront includes the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Russia and the 2017 event in Germany and France, as well as the Division I Group A and B tournaments in the respective years.
About Infront Sports & Media
Infront Sports & Media is the most respected sports marketing company in the world, managing a comprehensive portfolio of top properties. Led by President & CEO Philippe Blatter, Infront covers all aspects of successful sporting events – including distribution of media rights, sponsorship, media production and event operation – and has won a reputation for its high standards of delivery. As the number one player in winter sport and with a leading role in football and summer sports, Infront enjoys long-lasting partnerships with 160 rights-holders and hundreds of sponsors and media companies. Headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, Infront has a team of experienced staff working from 25 offices across 13 countries, delivering 4,000 event days of top class sport around the world every year.
