December 01, 2013 (Beaver Creek, CO) – The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association is looking to elevate the reach of ski racing in America. EUROVISION, operated by the European Broadcast Union, and the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) have sealed an agreement giving USSA the media rights to the 2015 and 2017 FIS Alpine and Nordic Ski World Championships, including the 2015 Alpine Ski World Championships in Vail/Beaver Creek.

Under the deal, the USSA will manage rights distribution in the USA for major national networks, sports networks and other cable broadcasters, including exclusive multiplatform exploitation in the USA of these showcase FIS events, with rights for television, radio, online and mobile platforms. The joint venture is the first time a National Ski Association has entered into a broadcast partnership at this level with a global rights holder like EUROVISION.

(l-r) USSA CMO Mike Jaquet, USSA President and CEO Bill Marolt, EUROVISION Head of Sports Rights Ingolfur Hannesson. FIS Secretary General Sarah Lewis and Vail/Beaver Creek 2015 President Ceil Folz. © Grafton Smith

The partnership is anticipated to be a key component of increasing domestic exposure for the Championships and one that is expected to bring greater diversity in distribution. The USSA has long been engaged in broadcast production and distribution of its own U.S. World Cup and Grand Prix events, but this marks its first foray bringing international events to America.

The investment in the World Championships rights is part of a broader strategy by the USSA to expand broadcast and digital coverage of ski racing worldwide into the U.S. market.

As the domestic rights holder, the USSA will enter into subsequent partnerships with national and cable broadcasters, as well as digital media partners, to create an expanded content distribution network.

The USSA’s goal is to create daily TV coverage on a blended network, along with live streaming and mobile distribution, for both Alpine and Nordic World Ski Championships.

As a precursor to the agreement, EBU subsidiary Eurovision Production Coordination (EPC) managed production of the Audi FIS Alpine World Cups Beaver Creek as test events for the 2015 Alpine Ski World Championships, where the EPC will be the host broadcaster.

The production test allowed the USSA to upgrade its production quality, offering a high definition broadcast for the first time.
In addition to the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships at Vail/Beaver Creek, the package also includes the 2015 Nordic World Ski Championships in Falun, Sweden along with 2017 Alpine World Ski Championships in St. Moritz, Switzerland and Nordic World Ski Championships in Lahti, Finland.

Bill Marolt, President and CEO, U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association
This innovative partnership between EUROVISION and the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association is a game-changing move that will bring greater value to our fans and partners, including the International Ski Federation. Beginning with the 2015 World Championships right here in Vail/Beaver Creek, it will positively change the way we bring our sport to the public in America and set a new standard for how ski racing is viewed worldwide.

Michael Jaquet, Chief Marketing Officer, U.S. Ski an Snowboard Association
As the National Ski Association for skiing in America, we have a personal stake in the success of this partnership. We aim to bring our fans, and the public at large, a more extensive distribution package than ever before, using the platform of the FIS World Championships to bring more fans to ski racing.

While the cornerstone of our domestic distribution will be a strong national broadcast and cable partner, we are anxious to also carry coverage through live streaming, a mobile platform and more expansive news access across America.

Ingolfur Hannesson, Head of Sports Rights, Winter Sports, EUROVISION
We are pleased to move in this direction with the USSA, just to underline the flexibility of EUROVISION on the market where we aim to provide our clients with tailor-made services through a partnership approach. This is a win-win situation for all parties.

Gian Franco-Kasper, President, International Ski Federation
We are pleased that the USSA has taken the initiative to manage its domestic media rights for the FIS World Championships in 2015 and 2017 to capitalize on its strong team performances. The home 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Vail/Beaver Creek is an ideal opportunity to increase television exposure throughout the country.

Ceil Folz, President, 2015 Organizing Committee
Elevating the sport of ski racing and skiing in general to a new level is one of our main objectives for 2015. The domestic broadcast rights aligning with our partner USSA allows us to shape and control our message to an unprecedented USA audience at this momentous event.

 About EUROVISION
EUROVISION, operated by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), is the industry’s premier distributor and producer of top quality live sport and news, as well as entertainment, culture and music content. The EUROVISION satellite and fibre network is the largest and most reliable in the worl,d directly plugged in to public service media everywhere. EUROVISION’s staff of experienced media professionals acquire and manage media rights on behalf of EBU Members, and provide network, transmission and events services to the broadcasting industry. Visit the EUROVISION website here and Twitter here.

About USSA
The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) is the national governing body of Olympic skiing and snowboarding. It is the parent organization of the U.S. Ski Team, U.S. Snowboarding and U.S. Freeskiing. Developed to facilitate participation in national and international competition, the Olympic sports organization provides structure for competitive skiing and snowboarding. With a vision to make the USA the best in the world in Olympic skiing and snowboarding, the USSA provides leadership and direction for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders who share an Olympic dream while maintaining a strong adherence to core values. The USSA presently manages its own production and distribution of broadcast and digital content. The USSA, established in 1905, operates out of the national training and education facility, the Center of Excellence, in Park City, UT.