CBC Sports strengthens winter sports portfolio with FIS, IBSF rights

The CBC Sports division of Canadian public-service broadcaster CBC has acquired rights for events operated by the International Ski Federation (FIS) and the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF).

The rights for FIS events will cover five years, from 2016-17 to 2020-21, while CBC Sports will show IBSF World Cup and World Championship events over two years, from 2016-17 to 2017-18.

The rights deals were brokered on behalf of the federations by the Infront Sports & Media agency.

Under the deal with the FIS, CBC Sports will show World Cup events in alpine, cross country, ski jumping, Nordic combined, snowboard and freestyle, such as the 2017 Snowboard and Freestyle World Championship and the 2019 and 2021 Alpine and Nordic World Championships. The agreements comprise rights for live, delayed, repeat and video-on-demand coverage across all television, online and mobile platforms nationwide in Canada.

Bruno Marty, Infront’s executive director of winter sports, said that the deal would cover more than 250 FIS World Cup events per season.

The IBSF rights include live and on-demand coverage.