Zug, Switzerland - Infront Sports & Media, the leading international sports marketing company, has secured a comprehensive media rights agreement with CBC Sports, a division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, to air key flagship FIS and IBSF events over the next five years.
The properties included are: 2016/17 – 2020/21 FIS World Cup events in Alpine, Cross Country, Ski Jumping, Nordic Combined, Snowboard and Freestyle; the 2017 FIS Snowboard and Freestyle World Championship; as well as the 2019 and 2021 FIS Alpine and Nordic World Championships. The agreement is rounded by the BMW IBSF World Cup and World Championships in bob and skeleton through 2017/18.
The agreements comprise the media rights for live, delayed, repeat and video on demand coverage across all TV, online and mobile platforms nationwide in Canada. CBC Sports will showcase this coverage in their weekend Road to the Olympic Games TV broadcasts as well as online at cbcsports.ca and via their CBC Sports app (for iOS and Android).
The annual FIS World Cups stretch across the entire winter sports season – starting in October with the finals carried out in March, while the FIS Snowboard and Freestyle as well as the FIS Alpine and Nordic World Championships are held every two years. The BMW IBSF World Championships are held annually in non-Olympic Games years, over two weekends in January and/or February. Similarly, the BMW IBSF World Cup attracts viewers from November to January/February each year.
Comprehensive winter sports coverage for Canadian market
Greg Stremlaw, executive director, CBC Sports and GM & chef de mission of CBC’s coverage of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, said: “CBC Sports has long been Canada’s home for the best in winter sports coverage and these agreements allow us to continue to provide full-season coverage of these popular and prestigious winter sports disciplines. With Infront collectively providing key FIS properties as well as handling the media rights distribution for the IBSF, we were able to reach a comprehensive media rights agreement that guarantees must-see ski, bobsleigh and skeleton content for our audiences over the coming years.”
Bruno Marty, Executive Director Winter Sports at Infront, commented: “Through CBC Sports, Canadian audiences will benefit from more than 250 FIS World Cup events per season in Alpine, Nordic, Snowboard and Freestyle as well as live and on demand access to bob and skeleton events. This agreement allows continuous and diverse winter sports coverage across the entire season and will further help CBC with its positioning as a leading and reliable broadcaster of winter sports content in the market.”
A strong position in winter sports
Infront was chosen by the International Ski Federation as its overall commercial partner for the 2019 and 2021 FIS Alpine and Nordic World Skiing Championships – handling the media rights distribution, TV production, sponsorship, merchandising and hospitality. With respect to the media production, broadcasters receive a quality of signal and level of support that matches the highest standards in sport today.
Infront is also comprehensively involved in the FIS World Cup. As media and/or marketing partner to the majority of national associations hosting FIS World Cup events across various disciplines, Infront has facilitated global media rights distribution through a collective approach, developed and produced attractive programming formats and increased worldwide visibility for the series. Together with the FIS, Infront has also established guidelines to ensure a consistent quality in media production across the entire season.
Working closely with the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) since 2003, Infront handles the worldwide distribution of media rights for the men’s and women’s BMW IBSF World Cup and World Championship events. Managing the media production for all BMW IBSF World Cup and World Championship races, a highly polished broadcast production is provided with programming offered in HD 1080 16/9 format filmed by up to 30 cameras.
About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada's national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. The Corporation is a leader in reaching Canadians on new platforms and delivers a comprehensive range of radio, television, internet, and satellite-based services. Deeply rooted in the regions, CBC/Radio-Canada is the only domestic broadcaster to offer diverse regional and cultural perspectives in English, French and eight aboriginal languages.
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, summer and endurance sports, Infront enjoys long-lasting partnerships with 180 rights-holders and hundreds of sponsors and media companies. Headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, Infront has a team of more than 900 experienced staff working from over 35 offices across more than 15 countries, delivering 4,100 event days of top class sport around the world every year. In November 2015, Infront was integrated into Wanda Sports Holding, part of the Chinese conglomerate the Dalian Wanda Group.
