The International Triathlon Union partners Infront to engage fans
By Shantanu Srivastav | February 20, 2018
The International Triathlon Union (ITU) has finalised a long-term partnership with sports marketing company Infront.
Under the terms of the agreement, Infront – a WandaSports company – will take on shared responsibility for developing sponsorship opportunities and digital strategies for the ITU World Triathlon Series and the new ITU World Triathlon Mixed Relay Series. The organization will also sell international media rights and offer broadcasting services for both.
The announcement will allow for further growth of the series, with new digital developments helping to engage an even wider fan base. This includes through the OTT channel, TriathlonLIVE.
“We are delighted to have on board a company with the expertise and deep knowledge of the sports market as Infront,” said ITU president and IOC Member, Marisol Casado.
“Under this new agreement, we expect to grow together and expand our beloved sport even further. Especially taking into account that this year is the beginning, for all our athletes, of the road to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. We want to show all the amazing performances to the entire world, which I’m sure will be possible with the help of Infront.”
Stephan Herth, executive director Summer Sports for Infront said: “We are delighted to be working directly with the ITU in order to jointly develop the media rights as well as other potential revenue streams. Infront has a history of providing a high-quality service for our endurance sport partners. I’m confident our strong track record will continue with this latest collaboration.”
Triathlon is already one of the fastest growing Olympic sports worldwide. The ITU World Triathlon Series in 2018, with events in eight countries across the world, attracts over 40,000 participants – among them the top elite triathletes of the world, and most of the Olympic contenders – and some 1.5m spectators worldwide.
This year, the series will begin in Abu Dhabi on 2 March, with events in Bermuda, Yokohama (Japan), Leeds (UK), Hamburg (Germany), Edmonton (Canada), Montreal (Canada) and the Grand Final in Gold Coast (Australia).
