FIS Embarks on New Era of Media Rights Centralisation with Launch of Global Broadcast and Media Rights Tender
9 hours ago
Today the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) announced the launch of an open tender for its global broadcast and media rights for the 2026-2029 World Championship cycle. The tender offers broadcasters and media entities the opportunity to bid on a range of prestigious winter sports competitions.
This tender marks a significant milestone in FIS’s strategic plan, as the federation takes greater control of its media and marketing rights. The open tender will include media rights for two editions each of the Alpine Ski World Championships, the Nordic World Championships, the Freestyle, Snowboard, and Freeski World Championships, and the Ski Flying World Championships.
Focus on the Next Generation
Bidders will have the flexibility to submit offers on a global, pan-regional, or market-by-market basis, providing opportunities for a wide array of media entities to participate, and reflecting the FIS’s ambition to grow its global audience while also catering to key local markets. The tender also encourages broadcasters to propose new production concepts that align with FIS’s vision of modernising its broadcast product. The FIS is understood to be reserving specific digital rights to enable the federation, its national associations, and athletes to grow digital audience engagement via owned channels.
Christian Salomon, Chief Commercial Director at FIS, speaking to iSportConnect, highlighted the federation’s strategic focus on raising standards and engaging younger generations: “We want to establish a much more modern, consistent, and appealing television product and, with an ageing core demographic, much of our focus in the coming years will be on appealing to younger audiences.”
Strategic Ambition and Transformation
The tender for the 2026-2029 cycle is a key step in FIS’s broader strategic plan to transform its commercial operations. FIS Media and Marketing (FIS M&M), the commercial arm of the federation, was established in 2022 under the leadership of Christian Salomon, a former senior executive at IMG and Infront. FIS M&M has been tasked with growing the commercial revenues of the federation, with the FIS media rights centralisation being a cornerstone of this strategy.
Technology and Innovation at the Forefront
The 2026-2029 cycle will see FIS further invest in innovative production technologies aimed at enhancing the viewer experience and engaging younger audiences. The use of drone footage, and on-board cameras, amongst other innovations, will play a pivotal role in delivering what they hope will be a more dynamic and immersive viewing experience.
In conversation with iSportConnect, Christian Salomon emphasised the importance of appealing to this demographic: “We need to work on the consistency of our television product and we want to cater for second-screen use. If you don’t catch the attention of someone by the age of 18, then you lose them to other sports forever, so we want to focus more on the 12-18 year-old audience.
Beyond the traditional broadcast model, FIS has made significant strides in its digital strategy, including the launch of FIS TV, its own streaming platform. FIS TV has already started streaming content in “dark markets,” and will continue to serve as a hub for global snow sports content. The platform is part of FIS’s broader effort to provide seamless access to its competitions and connect with fans across all digital touchpoints.
Interested parties are invited to submit their proposals by November 12th, with further details available through FIS Media and Marketing.