FIS and NSAs finalize the centralization of international media and broadcast rights

Dec 20, 2024·Inside FIS

Eight months after the FIS Council voted in favor of the centralization of international media and broadcast rights to FIS World Cup events, FIS and major World Cup National Ski Associations (NSAs) finalized the process that will allow the organization to commercialize the rights to the FIS World Cup competitions as a strong global package.

All major World Cup National Ski Associations, except for Austria, have reached an agreement on the centralization of media rights.

During the consultation phase with all relevant World Cup NSAs, numerous revisions were made to the original FIS proposal. These changes stemmed from the "Snowflake" project, which was put forward a year ago by several National Ski Associations as an alternative model. With this milestone achieved, the FIS Council approved revisions to the International Ski Competition Rules (ICR) and reversed the changes made by the Council in April 2024.

The Council also approved a long-term calendar framework until 2033/34, ensuring a high level of planning security. The centralization will be implemented under a new governance model agreed between FIS and the World Cup NSAs, including the newly formed decision-making and advisory bodies FIS Media Rights Panel and the FIS Media Rights Executive Board with representatives of the World Cup NSAs and FIS.

“This is truly a historic day for snow sports,” says FIS President Johan Eliasch, whose manifesto as a candidate in 2021 featured the centralization of international media rights as one of the key pillars to growing and modernizing FIS.

With a centralized approach to international media and broadcast rights, the sport takes control of its own destiny. This landmark step will allow us to develop our product collectively, maximize the commercial value of our media assets, enhance content accessibility, expand storytelling opportunities, attract new audiences, and ultimately increase prize money for athletes. Today marks the moment snow sports step fully into the 21st century.– Johan Eliasch - FIS President

The international media and broadcast rights for all FIS World Cup events, except those in Austria, will be marketed by Infront, with which FIS signed an exclusive agency agreement earlier this year. This partnership will take effect starting from the 2026/27 season and will run through the 2033/34 season. The agreement guarantees increased revenues for all participating World Cup federations, greater control over rights management, and exciting new possibilities for fan engagement through innovative digital offerings.

“There was never a doubt that a centralized rights approach is the most beneficial format for FIS and the NSAs – the question has been about how to set it up,” says Eliasch. “FIS and the World Cup NSAs have been working diligently over the past 18 months to agree on a governance framework, and we are proud to have achieved this milestone together."

This is how meaningful decisions are made: collectively, for the successful future of our sport and our athletes.– Johan Eliasch - FIS President

Bruno Marty, Infront Senior Vice President ProSports, added: “This new set-up takes Infront’s well-established, two-decade-long partnership with FIS and its member associations to the next level. Its confirmation is fantastic news for the snow-sport family, the athletes, media rights licensees, and ultimately the fans. Our exclusive agency agreement with FIS will provide a single point of sale for the vast majority of FIS World Cup races, allowing us to substantially grow media rights revenues based on our expertise and in-depth knowledge of the sports media industry. This ensures long-term planning security for all stakeholders involved. We are looking forward to closely working together with the FIS family to increase attractiveness, exposure, and impact of the FIS World Cup globally.”

A framework has now been established that allows the interests of all World Cup NSAs, whether they organize large or small World Cups, to be fairly integrated into a unified centralization structure.

All partners concur that while the recent centralization of media rights marks a significant initial step, further actions will be essential to collectively secure the future viability and sustainability of skiing and snowboarding as a product.

In this context, FIS and the World Cup NSAs will prioritize "product development" in the coming months. These efforts will specifically explore opportunities for additional investments, expanded partnerships, and enhanced collaborations.