Swiss-Ski and the other negotiating national associations have agreed with the World Association FIS on the central marketing of international media rights to the FIS World Cup series. The agreement applies from the 2026/27 season for eight years to 2034.
In addition to Swiss-Ski, all important World Cup organizers are part of the so-called Media Rights Centralization Agreement (MRCA) with Germany, Finland, France, Italy, Canada, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden and the USA with the exception of Austria.
"We are very satisfied with this agreement and the firm conviction that it is a first big step to further develop the FIS World Cup and thus snow sports as a whole in such a way that we are also attracted to attractiveness," says Diego Züger, Co-CEO By Swiss-Ski. «Now there is an agreement that corresponds to our ideas of central marketing. Negotiations dragged on for a very long time because the ideas between the FIS and our national associations were quite far apart at the beginning. The fact that we have now made an agreement from which everyone benefits proves what we can achieve as national associations when we appear united. »
"With a centralized approach for international media rights, sport takes its fate into his own hands," says FIS President Johan Eliasch. "This groundbreaking step will enable us to develop our product together, to maximize the commercial value, attract new target groups and finally increase the prize money for the athlete: inside.»
During the consultation phase, numerous changes to the original FIS proposal were made. These changes are essentially based on the “Snowflake” project, which Swiss-Ski and other national associations have promoted as a counter-proposal. A new governance model is linked to the central marketing, to which the FIS and the national associations have agreed together.
The international media and transfer rights for all FIS World Cup events, with the exception of those in Austria, are marketed by Infront. The agreement with the agency comes into force in 2026/27 and applies until 2033/34. It guarantees higher income and promising new opportunities for fan binding through innovative digital offers.
All partners agree that the central marketing of media rights is an important first step, but that further measures are necessary to successfully lead snow sports as a product. In this context, the FIS and the World Cup organizer countries will focus on product development in the coming months. This includes carefully examining the possibilities of additional investments, extended partnerships and increased cooperation.
Read the full FIS Press Release