ESPN Plans Global Expansion of X Games

Sports broadcaster ESPN has announced it will stage six X Games events around the world from 2013 in a move that they claim will transform the franchise into the largest action sports competition on the planet.

Two of the six events will be staged in the United States with the remaining four locations yet to be decided, erectile with ESPN conducting a formal bid process to determine the X Games host cities. In addition to the current US-based events in Los Angeles and Aspen and also Tignes in France, where ESPN is partnered with Canal+, ESPN will add three international events with cities selected in 2012 for a three-year agreement.

Scott Guglielmino, senior vice- president of programming and Global X Games at ESPN, stated: “We are incredibly excited to take the X Games to the next level. While we have produced events under the X Games banner outside the US for many years, these four new X Games events will be of the same size and stature as the Los Angeles and Aspen events.”

The X Games have taken place since 1995, with smaller events having been organised from 1998 including qualifiers and demonstrations in Brazil, Canada, China, France, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, Philippines and Dubai.

A total of 130 hours of live TV coverage across the six X Games events on ESPN networks in the US and around the world will be supplemented by coverage on digital platforms, including a year-round action sports website. BMX, Skateboard, Moto X and Rally Car Racing are the sports covered in Summer X Games, while for Winter X Games, Skiing, Snowboard and Snowmobile events are staged.