Our collaboration in Tv production of Ski Classics for this season is over. Great experience! Great results!
Ski Classics is operated by the company Ski Classics AB, owned by W sportsmedia, Vasaloppet and Birkebeinerrennet.
Ski Classics was created in cooperation between athletes and the events representatives in order to enhance the world of long distance skiing. Ski Classics was launched in front of the 2011 ski season, combining the most traditional long distance cross country skiing events in Europe into a TV product. The series consists of 9 events where the last one will be the Ski Classics Final, rounding up the season and hosting the season review prize ceremony. The long distance ski races are unique winter sport events combining professional and amateur skiers through picturesque landscapes across Europe.
Ski Classics intially began in 2007 with distribution of the Swedish race, Vasaloppet, outside of Sweden. The event Vasaloppet has existed for 92 years and is steadily growing in popularity. After seeing the TV share for Vasaloppet grow domestically to 75% of the Swedish TV viewers in the morning, when the race starts, on the first Sunday in March every year. Seeing Vasaloppet become a TV institution and part of the folklore in Sweden the next step in order to grow further was to internationalize the TV product outside of Sweden to potentially reach new audiences and markets. Since the TV market asked for a series of events in order to be able to work with partners and audiences over time, the market was approached to understand the potential to uplift additional long distance cross country skiing events as part of an international TV-product.
The long distance skiing events still symbolize the strong traditions and classical settings that cross country skiing used to be all about, from a combined mass start where several thousand of skiers break the start line together to the drama of head to head between skiers as the finish line approaches. There is now an additional exciting development within the competition formats as more and more teams are created, adding an extra dimension to the races. The Ski Classics Pro teams have developed rapidly and are similar to the cycling pro teams, where a title partner can brand the race suit and also acquire the naming rights. Up to 25 Pro Teams may take part in Ski Classics.
The Ski Classics consist of 4 competitions within each event, the yellow champion bib, the green sprint bib, the pink youth bib and the team competition where the two best male and single best female points are added after each competition.
(Font: www.skiclassics.com)
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