SRG SSR Secure Swiss Rights for Ice Hockey World Championships Between 2012 to 2017

Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR have acquired the Swiss media rights for the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championship 2012 to 2017 through Infront Sports & Media.

Infront Sports & Media, longtime marketing partner of the IIHF licensed the rights to SRG SSR. The IIHF World Championship is the annual highlight in international ice hockey and one of the biggest winter sports events worldwide.

The extended agreement between Infront and the SRG includes all IIHF World Championships until 2017, including the tournaments in Finland and Sweden (co-hosts for 2012 and 2013), Belarus (2014), Czech Republic (2015) and Russia (2016). SRG has been the national television partner of the IIHF World Championship for more than 20 years, starting with the 1989 tournament in Sweden. Since then, the corporation has transmitted every edition of the championship on its media channels, including this year’s tournament in Slovakia.

The contract with Infront includes the exclusive rights to broadcast all 64 games of the IIHF World Championship and allows the SRG to distribute the licensed content via free-TV, radio, internet and mobile networks in Switzerland. Infront, in close cooperation with the IIHF will continue to provide high-quality TV pictures and media services for the SRG coverage. Since 2009, the IIHF World Championship has been produced in full HD quality with 20 cameras per game guaranteeing in-depth sports coverage and dynamic reporting from every angle.

Urs Leutert, Head of Sport SRG / SRF, added: “As a longstanding partner of the IIHF World Championship, the SRG will offer ice hockey a media platform through to 2017, which accounts for the sport’s importance in Switzerland. Thanks to the high standards Infront attaches to the production of the TV signal, and the in-depth coverage of the SRG editors, Swiss viewers can look forward to first-class ice hockey pictures, great action and all the excitement of the sporting experience.”

Bruno Marty, Infront’s Executive Director Winter Sports added: “Switzerland is a proven hockey nation, the agreement with SRG guarantees that the many Swiss fans will continue to receive comprehensive coverage of this top annual event over the next six years. We are delighted to have once again secured the national free-to-air broadcaster to work with us in Switzerland, the IIHF and Infront home-land. The SRG will provide a diverse range of coverage for the IIHF World Championship across a full range of media platforms.”