Infront Sports & Media is a sports marketing company based in Zug, Switzerland. The company handles the media and marketing rights for international sports events and federations and also provides sports services - such as advertising, sponsorship and hospitality. It represents all seven Olympic winter sport federations,^[1] several summer sport organizations and manages media rights for the FIS World Cup Events. Infront was created in late 2002 through the integration of CWL, Prisma and KirchSportAG.

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Infront Sports & Media

Company type	Sports & Media
Founded	October 2002; 21 years ago (2002-10)
Headquarters	Zug , Switzerland
Number of locations	35
Key people	Philippe Blatter (President and CEO)
Number of employees	1000+
Parent	Dalian Wanda Group (among others)
Website	infront.sport

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Infront Sports & Media was founded in October 2002 with FIFA as its core business^[2] as the company who sold the television and radio broadcasts for the 2002 FIFA World Cup.^[3] The company originated from a merger of two existing Swiss-based marketing companies, CWL and Prisma Sports & Media. CWL was founded by Cesar Lüthi, who sold the business to the Kirch Group.^[4][5] In 2005 the company lost the right to resell the TV and radio rights in Europe, though it retained the ability to sell Asian rights, as part of a division of the rights by FIFA.^[3] Infront subsidy HBS won the contract to manage the TV and radio broadcast production.^[3] Two months later, the company hired President and CEO Phillippe Blatter, to replace departing chief Oscar Frei.^[3] The appointment of Blatter, who is the nephew of Sepp Blatter, the then President of FIFA, was criticized by author Andrew Jennings and Transparency International.^[3][6] During this time as chief executive, Phillippe Blatter was able to grow the company's revenues.^[7]

Until 2011 it was owned by a consortium of shareholders.^[7] In September 2011 – European private equity firm Bridgepoint reached an agreement to acquire the company.^[8][9][10] In February 2015, Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda won an auction to purchase Infront from Bridgepoint for more than €1 billion.^[11][12] In November of that same year, it was announced that Infront would merge with the World Triathlon Corporation (including the latter's Ironman brand) to form the Wanda Sports division.^[13]

Infront Sports & Media has 1000 employees in 14 countries.^[14][15] Infront Sports & Media supports media rights distribution, marketing concepts and sponsorship sales for sporting events as well as media production^[16] (host broadcasting, post production and archive management). Infront's subsidiary, Host Broadcast Services (HBS), manages television and radio signals for broadcasters at sports events such as the FIFA World Cup.^[17][3] Infront subsidiary, Omnigon^[18] helps sports and media companies, such as NASCAR, to develop mobile apps and websites.^[19]

On 4 June 2018, Infront announced the acquisition of leading European obstacle course event organiser XLETIX GmbH in a move that extends its footprint in the growing personal and corporate fitness sector.^[20]

In July 2018, Infront and FIDAL, the Italian Athletics Federation, announced a six-year partnership on Friday which will run until 2024. The agreement unveiled at a press conference in Rome, will see Infront and FIDAL collaborate at all levels of the federation's events and projects.^[21]

• Harald Griebel, developed marketing for the Ice Hockey World Championships from 1981 to 2008.^[49][50]