The leading international winter sports federations are accelerating the signing of media agreements with major agencies and television and streaming platforms, aiming to secure global visibility in an increasingly competitive environment. FIS, IBU, ISU, IIHF, WCF, IBSF and FIL share a clear trend: the centralisation of their rights under a small number of major players such as Infront, the European Broadcasting Union –EBU– and Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe.
One of the most consistent patterns is the combination of three complementary models: agencies that consolidate international rights to sell global packages, public broadcasters that ensure broad reach, and streaming platforms that allow for segmented audiences and on-demand content. FIS, ISU, IIHF and WCF have reinforced their ties with Infront in recent years for international distribution, while IBU maintains a long-standing alliance with the EBU, now extended to the digital platform Eurovision Sport. In parallel, IBSF and FIL have partnered with Warner Bros. Discovery to integrate bobsleigh, skeleton and luge into Eurosport and OTT services such as HBO Max and discovery+.
A landscape marked by increasing centralisation
In the case of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation –FIS–, the agreement signed with Infront for the World Championships from 2026 to 2029 completes the consolidation of major ski and snowboard rights under a single agency. The contract includes eight championships and is combined with the international rights to the World Cup circuit, allowing broadcasters to acquire joint packages of season events and World Championships. Additional agreements include the partnership with Ski Austria for events held in the country and regional deals with operators such as Viaplay in the Nordic region and CBC Sports in Canada, contributing to full coverage in key markets.
Similar models can be observed across other multisport winter federations. The International Biathlon Union –IBU– has extended its exclusive media partnership with the European Broadcasting Union –EBU– until 2030, ensuring free-to-air broadcasts of World Cups and World Championships, as well as youth events, and adding digital distribution through Eurovision Sport. The International Skating Union –ISU– maintains an agreement with Infront covering the 2023/24 to 2026/27 seasons, with global rights except in select markets such as Canada, Japan, Korea and the United States, across World Championships, European Championships, World Cups and Grand Prix events in speed skating, figure skating, synchronised skating and short track. The International Ice Hockey Federation –IIHF– has renewed its media and marketing partnership with Infront until 2033, including senior and lower-division World Championships, and has launched IIHF.tv as an OTT platform for fans worldwide.
Agencies, public broadcasters and OTT: complementary strategies
Curling offers a clear example of how sports with more niche audiences combine traditional broadcasting agreements with direct-to-consumer streaming models. The World Curling Federation –WCF– renewed its media and marketing agreement with Infront through the 2029/30 season, covering two full Olympic cycles, while exploring OTT options such as its dedicated channel on Recast to broadcast competitions not included in traditional schedules. Following Recast’s exit from the market, the WCF began assessing new digital alternatives, highlighting how winter sports increasingly combine centralised rights with flexible distribution models.
In biathlon, the combination of the EBU and Eurovision Sport creates a mixed model in which European public broadcasters ensure broad visibility, supplemented by a digital platform that expands coverage and reaches audiences outside traditional linear windows. The IBU has strengthened this structure with a parallel agreement with Infront for marketing and commercial activation, also covering youth categories and summer events. Similarly, the IIHF complements its long-term partnership with Infront with the development of IIHF.tv, offering live and on-demand matches, particularly for lower-division tournaments with limited broadcast exposure.
Who is best positioned to grow their audience
The third major group of agreements is formed by partnerships with Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe, reinforcing the position of several winter sports within the Eurosport ecosystem and the group’s OTT services. The International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation –IBSF– has signed an agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery for the 2025/26 Olympic season, enabling bobsleigh and skeleton to reach more than one hundred and fifty million households across Europe via Eurosport, HBO Max and other services. The International Luge Federation –FIL– has formalised a similar deal to integrate the Luge World Cup into Warner Bros. Discovery’s winter portfolio, with coverage on Eurosport and TNT Sports, and extended streaming through discovery+ and HBO Max across Europe.
Overall, the cases of FIS, IBU, ISU, IIHF, WCF, IBSF and FIL highlight a clear pattern: the centralisation of rights under a small group of global agencies, strong ties with European public broadcasters through the EBU, and the growing presence of major pay-TV and streaming groups such as Warner Bros. Discovery. Federations that combine these three layers —centralised agency agreements, broad free-to-air exposure and OTT platforms, either proprietary or third-party— appear to be in a more predictable position to grow audiences and deliver more comprehensive long-term coverage within the winter sports ecosystem.
