ESPN and CANAL + Events Announce Winter X Games Europe for March 2010
First Winter X Games Outside the United States; Tignes to Host
ESPN, CANAL + Events and Tignes Ski & Snowboard Resort will launch the first Winter X Games Europe March 10-12, 2010. The event will be the first Winter X Games held outside the United States. The event will bring together ESPN’s world class X Games franchise with France’s leading pay TV broadcaster and local expertise of Tignes. A definitive list of the world’s top winter action sports athletes will be invited to France to compete for medals and prize money. There will be eight different competitions over three days, including Ski and Snowboard SuperPipe and Slopestyle for men and women as well as a Snowmobile demonstration.
CANAL + Events CEO, Jean Louis Dutaret said, “We are delighted to work with ESPN and the X Games team to bring the Winter X Games to Europe. CANAL + Events and ESPN events team will draw on all their experience to ensure this is the biggest and best winter sports event in Europe in 2010. As for soccer, rugby and many sports, CANAL + Group will consider X Games as a global project, including TV, Internet and mobile. In a Winter Olympic year, and only a few weeks after athletes have competed in Vancouver, fans in Europe will again be able to watch the top names in the world compete head to head.”
”Nothing could be more justified than Tignes as the host resort of the first Winter X Games Europe. Tignes, the sportiest European ski resort, is always at the forefront of action and freestyle winter sports,” said Tignes Ski & Snowboard Resort Manager, Sebastien Merignargues.
Rick Alessandri, ESPN Senior Vice President and Managing Director, X Games Franchise said, “Working with CANAL + and Tignes, and drawing on more than 10 years experience of running the Winter X Games in the United States, we are excited to bring winter action sports fans in Europe the best action sports event they will see in 2010. This first event outside the U.S. reflects the continued global growth of the X Games franchise as well as the progression of action sports in Europe.”
CANAL + Networks (CANAL +, CANAL + SPORT, Sport +) will show the Winter X Games in France and French-speaking territories (Caribbean, French speaking Africa) live (or on-delay) so that those unable to come to Tignes will be able to see the event. ESPN will be responsible for all distribution outside of France.
ABOUT ESPN’s X GAMES FRANCHISE
ESPN first developed its X Games franchise in 1995. The X Games, Winter X Games and All Access are just some of the original action sports programming currently shown on ESPN and ESPN2. In addition to the two U.S.-based events, ESPN has held X Games competitions and demonstration events around the world, including Dubai, Thailand, Brazil, Mexico, Korea, Malaysia, China and Spain. The global franchise has also expanded its reach to both XGames.com and ESPN.com/action, the definitive sites for action sports fans, and to consumer products such as X Games bikes, protective gear, skateboards and DVDs.
CANAL + EVENTS
CANAL + Events is a CANAL + Group subsidiary in charge of events producing and TV rights dealing. CANAL + Group is the first French Media Group with more than four billion turnover. High quality content that can be aired on TV, Internet and Mobile and then sold on DVD is the key word for CANAL + Group. CANAL + Events mission is to create or to co-produce content that can serve that strategy.
TIGNES
Located in the Northern French Alps, in Savoie, from 1,550 to 3,500 meters high, Tignes is linked to Val d’Isère and is a part of the espace Killy, one of the biggest ski areas in the world. With athletic and young clients of whom 54% are foreigners, Tignes is known as the most cosmopolitan and sportiest resort in Europe. Always at the forefront of alternative and action sports and on the look out for new freestyle trends, the resort has a wide experience in event organization. Tignes is a big, white playground where riders enjoy expressing themselves.
Details and a list of scheduled athletes for ESPN Winter X Games Europe will be forthcoming on www.canal-plus.fr for the public.
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