ESPN Set To Expand X Games

ESPN, the creator of the X Games franchise, has appointed global sports marketing firm Helios Partners to help expand the X Games commercial program and manage its host city bid process.  ??

Beginning in 2013, the X Games will further solidify its position as the largest action sports competition in the world with six annual events – four of them outside the United States.  

ESPN is putting significant resources behind this push for international expansion, with a plan to deliver a total of 130 hours of live TV coverage across the six X Games events.  

In recognition of the increase in the value and opportunities related to the X Games brand, ESPN has selected Helios to support the positioning and sales of the franchise within the sponsor and host city marketplace.
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Helios has helped drive several successes in the global sports marketplace in recent years, including the Sochi, Russia, bid to host the 2014 Olympic Winter Games and the initial development of the Sochi 2014 commercial program.  

Helios’ most recent win involved Russia’s bid to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and is now engaged with Pyeongchang, South Korea for its bid to host the 2018 Olympic Winter Games. 

Chris Welton, chief executive officer of Helios, said: ‘We believe action sports, and the X Games in particular, embody universal values that have tremendous appeal in the global marketplace’.

‘ESPN has been a leader and driving force behind the evolution of these sports and their connection with a young and attractive demographic’.