28.04.05 -- Infront has negotiated an agreement between MediaZone, a leading online provider of licensed video and audio content, and IHWC.net, the official website of the forthcoming IIHF World Championship, which starts in Austria on April 30th, 2005.

Zug, Switzerland, 28 April 2005 -- Infront Sports & Media — the exclusive marketing partner of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) — has negotiated an agreement between MediaZone, a leading online provider of licensed video and audio content, and IHWC.net, the official website of the forthcoming IIHF World Championship, which starts in Austria on April 30th, 2005.
 
IHWC.net is the official website for the IIHF World Championship and is jointly managed by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and Infront.
 
The complete schedule of 56 matches will be offered Live and On Demand online, on MediaZone's Ice Hockey Channel — www.mediazone.com/hockey. The service can also be accessed by visiting the IHWC.NET site directly. It will not be available to subscribers located in countries where the event is already broadcast on television, in order to protect the territorial exclusivity of the IIHF's broadcast partners. A list of countries where the service is blocked can be found at: www.mediazone.com/channel/hockey/jsp/faq.jsp.
 
For the discounted price of $29.99 (regular price $39.99 USD) global broadband consumers (excluding certain countries) will be able to watch the games live and delayed on www.mediazone.com/hockey.
 
MediaZone's 2005 IIHF World Championship ice hockey channel will also provide an option for consumers to purchase each live game for $4.99. In addition, hockey fans will be able to download or access the high-quality video stream of the games after the live event has ended.
 
"We have chosen MediaZone for the online broadcast of this event because of its ability to provide a high-quality customer experience and access to global broadband markets where the event does not normally have television exposure. This is great for large number of ice hockey fans in important markets like the USA." said Oliver Seibert, an Executive Director at Infront Sports & Media.
 
"MediaZone is delighted to become Infront's online distribution partner on this project," said Dr. Michelle Wu, General Manager of MediaZone. "Given the substantial popularity of ice hockey in the USA and around the world, we are excited to be able to distribute these high quality ice hockey games and bring this action-packed competition to the online consumer." 
 
MediaZone, based in California, is able to stream the live games online in high-quality video, ensuring that the matches remain secure while managing international access, billing and customer care. It offers a complete solution for securing, marketing, selling, managing and distributing digital content via the Internet. 
 
For further information please contact:
John Kristick
Infront Sports & Media AG.
Tel: +41-41 723 1515
Fax: +41-41 723 1516
info@infrontsports.com