Traditionally, many federations have charged athletes for the use of photographs and videos of the events in which they compete. However, the Federation International of Snowboarding and Ski (FIS) has opted to offer this material free of charge, with the aim of promoting its disciplines and improving its visibility through athletes‘ social networks.
The success of this initiative was evident at the New Zealand 2024 World Cup, where, shortly after finishing their turns on the slopes last weekend, Halfpipe athletes were able to access the FIS Content Exchange platform from their cell phones. There they downloaded videos provided by FIS, Winter Games NZ and Infront, already edited in horizontal (16:9) and vertical (9:16) formats, ready for use on social media.
This system allows athletes and the various associations, with a single click, to obtain the archives of the TV broadcasts of the event, including journalists’ comments, to share their stories on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
THE OUTCOME
Greater reach for the entire snowsports ecosystem: athletes, national federations (NSAs), venues, sponsors and broadcasters. Everyone benefits. “What we are seeing now is just a glimpse of what we envision for snow sports when we have all our media rights centralized, allowing athletes to be at the center of their own stories, with full access to competition footage, anywhere and across all disciplines,” commented Johan Eliasch, FIS President.
The athletes themselves have expressed their appreciation. “Before, many of us resorted to YouTube to record our races from the screen. But to be able to download them easily, in the highest quality, review our performance and post them online freely is amazing,” noted Canadian Brendan Mackay.