The International Ski Federation (FIS) and Infront Sports & Media have announced that live broadcasts of the upcoming FIS Snowboard and Ski Freestyle Championships in Kreischberg, Austria will be streamed live on YouTube.
Taking place from 15 – 25 January 2015, it’ll be the first time ever that fans will be provided with online live coverage free-of-charge. The programing will encompass all 24 FIS Freestyle and Snowboard World Championships Finals in full length. The live broadcasts will be accessible on the dedicated YouTube channels www.youtube.com/FISFreestyle and www.youtube.com/FISSnowboard worldwide – except for the host country Austria and territories where exclusive media rights agreements are in place.
2015 marks the first time that the Freestyle and Snowboard World Championship competitions are being staged together in one event. Cross promotions spanning both live streaming channels will add to the all-round impact of the sport and boost awareness of each disciplines’ online broadcast product.
Marcel Looze, FIS Marketing Manager, said: “With athletes from 45 nations competing, the Snowboard and Freestyle Skiing events hold high appeal in the global skiing community – especially amongst a young fan base…..we have developed a strong concept to leverage the potential of our existing YouTube channels and make this FIS World Championship available to fans all around the world.”
Bruno Marty, Executive Director Winter Sports at Infront, said: “Our aim is always to bring sport to the fans and to offer the most convenient means of access to enjoy the best live experience. The extended, free-of-charge programming on the YouTube channels has been developed to complement the TV coverage for these particularly youth orientated disciplines. High numbers of the freestyle and snowboard fans engage intensively with the sport in the digital realm. We are proud to be supporting the FIS in this pilot scheme, as it contributes to expanding the overall reach of the sport of skiing and its flagship events across all different disciplines.”