Spirit of the sport and the competition
Due to their strong international appeal, the FIS World Ski Championships are the highlights of the FIS calendar – with the Alpine and Nordic events undoubtedly standing out as the most popular.
Held every two years, the FIS Alpine and FIS Nordic World Ski Championships see the world’s best competitors in each discipline come together to establish world leading status. Whilst Alpine Skiing is the longest-established and best known discipline, all of them have a major impact attracting television audiences throughout the world.
The appeal of the events derives from a perfect mix of top sports performance and outstanding atmosphere, the latter provided by the most beautiful ski venues world-wide. The 2013 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships will be held in the popular tourist location of Schladming, Austria – a large ski resort that has held various ski competitions over recent years. The 2013 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships will take place for the third time in Val di Fiemme, Italy. Located in the Dolomites mountain region and forming a picturesque valley, it is also a popular tourist attraction.
Rights opportunities
Confirming its leadership and expertise in international skiing, Infront Sports & Media is handling the broadcast rights outside of Europe for the upcoming FIS Alpine and Nordic World Ski Championships in 2013. They encompass all forms of television, Internet and mobile, both for linear and on-demand transmissions.
Media production prospects
The 2013 FIS Alpine and Nordic World Ski Championships will be produced by ORF and RAI respectively (national hHost bBroadcasters). As two of the most experienced skiing broadcasters worldwide, with access to the most advanced winter sports filming technology, the coverage promises to offer an unparalleled viewing experience to fans around the globe.
All events of the 2013 FIS Alpine and Nordic World Ski Championships will be available both on satellite and/or tape, produced in high definition television (HDTV) quality and available at broadcasters’ request.
Background appeal
The FIS World Ski Championships held in 2011 were seen by a total cumulative TV audience of almost 1.2 billion worldwide. While some 660 million viewers watched the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships from Garmisch-Partenkirchen (GER), the total (live, delayed, news or highlights) coverage from Oslo (NOR) was enjoyed by a record audience of 519 million.
Besides the 2011 Nordic event in Oslo seeing the highest number of cumulative viewers ever recorded, it also posted a new record in broadcast hours – a total of 797 hours of which 67.3% was shown live and 19.3% delayed.
Upcoming Events
2013 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships
4 — 17 February in Schladming, Austria
2013 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships
20 February — 3 March in Val di Fiemme, Italy
