FIFA Appoint Infront Sports as Sales Rep for Asian Rights to 2018 & 2022 World Cups
October 27, 2011
Soccer’s world governing body, FIFA, has appointed the leading international sports marketing company Infront Sports & Media as exclusive sales representative for the distribution of Asian broadcast rights to the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups and all other FIFA Events 2015-2022 following an international tender process.
The agreement covers 26 countries, including China, Hong Kong India, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand. The territories of Japan, the whole of Korea and Malaysia/Brunei are not included.
Infront is already a well-established FIFA partner, having been involved in various highly specialised areas of the FIFA World Cup project in part or in whole with success since 1997. Infront currently holds a 50 per-cent stake in Football Media Services (FMS), a joint venture with the Japanese advertising company, Dentsu.
The JV company acts as its exclusive sales representative in key Asian territories with respect to the distribution of all broadcasting rights to the 2010 & 2014 FIFA World Cups and all other FIFA Events
2007-2014.
Infront will handle the marketing of all television, radio, broadband internet and mobile broadcasting rights to the 2015-2022 FIFA events including the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups™ in 26 Asian territories.
Niclas Ericson, FIFA’s Director TV, said: “Infront offered the best package for this important and very complex project both in financial as well as marketing aspects. We believe that the team will deliver the best possible results for FIFA and help us achieve our distribution and financial objectives in Asia.”
Stephan Herth, Infront’s Executive Director Summer Sports, heading Infront’s international media sales team, added: “We are extremely pleased and excited about our new partnership with FIFA going forward. Infront will provide an excellent solution based on our extensive experience in the marketing of football media rights, as well as, specific knowledge of marketing of such rights in the Asian territories. We will ensure substantial growth for FIFA in these important markets.”