Spirit of the sport and the competition
Every year, in April/May, the 16 best national ice hockey teams in the world come together to play 64 exciting games and establish the new World Champion of the sport. It is the biggest annual winter sport event worldwide and it goes from strength to strength every year.

The 2012 IIHF World Championship will for the first time be co-hosted by Finland and Sweden. Held in the cities of Helsinki and Stockholm it will involve strong ice hockey competitors from Belarus, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Norway, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States.

Rights opportunities
As exclusive marketing partner to the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), Infront handles all forms of electronic media rights for the event including TV and new media for live, delayed and highlights coverage on a worldwide basis.

Media production prospects
In close collaboration with the IIHF, Infront supervises the host broadcast production, providing broadcasters with a quality of pictures and level of support that match the highest standards in sport today. In 2012, all games will again be produced in high definition television (HDTV) quality. The production will use 22 cameras for each game positioned in key locations to cover the heart of the action and attract a wider audience.

The host broadcast includes filming and transmitting a high quality signal and providing support
for broadcasters in their unilateral production. It also includes transmission and commentary facilities along with the provision of live statistics and additional services. Infront’s Broadcaster Servicing team looks after the contracted broadcasters, providing a first point of contact at the venues and acting as the link between broadcasters and the production operation.

Background appeal
Infront has been the exclusive marketing partner to the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) since 1981 representing all major commercial rights. This unique and very special relationship generates many benefits, including the opportunity to introduce innovations and improvements on a consistent basis.

In 2010, Infront and the IIHF achieved phenomenal success with an innovative concept for the World Championship’s opening game. The Veltins-Arena of Gelsenkirchen, home of the German Bundesliga football club FC Schalke 04, was transformed into a giant ice hockey rink and attracted an impressive 77,803 fans. The event broke the world spectator record for any ice hockey event inside an arena.

The 2011 IIHF World Championship also reached a significant mile stone achieving unbeaten levels of TV coverage. More than 70 broadcast partners transmitted the games into 114 countries and territories resulting in the highest cumulative audience figure in the history of the event – a whopping 800 million viewers along with over 3,000 hours of ice hockey action broadcast around the world.

Upcoming Events

2012 IIHF World Championship
4 — 20 May in Helsinki, Finland and Stockholm, Sweden

2013 IIHF World Championship
3 – 19 May in Stockholm, Sweden and Helsinki, Finland

2014 IIHF World Championship
Minsk, Belarus

2015 IIHF World Championship
Prague and Ostrava, Czech Republic

2016 IIHF World Championship
Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia