Youthstream, the owner of exclusive worldwide television, marketing and global promotional rights to the FIM Motocross World Championship, has been renamed Infront Moto Racing a little over after a year after its acquisition by the Wanda-owned Infront agency.
The rebrand was unveiled today (Monday) and takes effect ahead of the start of the 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship on Friday.
Along with the FIM Motocross World Championship, Infront Moto Racing will also commercialise the rights to the FIM Motocross of Nations, the FIM Women’s Motocross World Championship, the FIM Junior Motocross World Championship, the FIM Snowcross World Championship, the Motocross European Championship and the Motocross of European Nations.
Infront said that, despite the name change, the company will “continue to operate as in the past with the management unchanged”.
The company will be headed by Giuseppe Luongo as president, David Luongo as chief executive, Daniele Rizzi as chief operating officer, Nikos Gounaris as director of organisation and Didier Henriod as chief marketing and TV officer.
All other line managers and staff will run the same departments, Infront said.
Executives from Youthstream combined with those from Infront to hold broadcast rights negotiations at the 2019 Sportel trade fair in Monaco. Following that event, Youthstream said that rights extensions had been agreed with the likes of Šport TV, the Slovenian public broadcaster, Telenet, the Belgian telecoms operator, and Bandeirantes, the Brazilian media group. Youthstream also said that a renewal was close with Dutch public broadcaster NOS.
Youthstream was formed in 2001 in Madeira and took on the commercial management of the FIM Motocross World Championship from Dorna in 2003. Giuseppe Luongo’s Action Group International had previously been the rights-holder to the series before its buyout by Dorna.
Other major motor sports agreements landed by Infront in recent years have included the deal in 2015 to sell international broadcast rights to the World Endurance Championship, including the flagship 24 Hours of Le Mans (a deal subsequently extended in October 2018), plus a deal to market commercial rights to the series organised by ADAC, the German motorsport body.
The agency also moved into Formula 1 last year in a non-exclusive marketing agreement with the Alfa Romeo Racing team as it continues to expand its involvement in the motor sports sector.
The 2020 FIM Motocross World Championship will begin on Friday with the opening stage at the Matterley Basin circuit in Hampshire, England.