ESPN X Games Announces First Ever X Games Global Simulcast
LOS ANGELES – ESPN’s X Games, the world’s premier action sport franchise, has just announced the first ever worldwide simulcast of the opening of an X Games. Scheduled for Thursday August 2, 2007 at 9 p.m. ET, the first five minutes of X Games 13 will air live simultaneously on ESPN in the U.S. and 18 ESPN International networks around the globe reaching 267 million viewers in 145 countries. The entire opening show, as well as an additional 40 hours of X Games 13 coverage, will also be webcast on EXPN.com.
Action sports fans in Australia, Asia, Brazil, the Caribbean, Hong Kong, India, Israel, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, South America, Taiwan and the U.S. will share in the excitement as the world’s leading action sports event kicks off its annual competition in Los Angeles Aug. 2-5, 2007. This year the event will feature more than 150 of the world’s best athletes competing in BMX Freestyle, Moto X, Skateboard, Surfing and Rally Car Racing.
“We are thrilled to be able to bring the excitement of X to action sports fans around the world in this unprecedented multiplatform, multi-network effort,” said by Rick Alessandri, senior vice president, general manager, ESPN Consumer Products and X Games Franchise Managing Director. “We believe that the support and enthusiasm for the X Games brand truly transcends cultures and borders, and what better way to show that than with this unique showcase of X Games 13.”
The opening of X Games 13 will feature memorable X highlights including last year’s unforgettable, world-record setting double back flip from Travis Pastrana. The opening will also be streamed live on http://www.expn.com/ and via broadband at ESPN360.com and ESPN360 Mexico. Also showcased on the ABC SuperSign Times Square in New York City, this opening will be seen by more than 32 million tourists annually.
ABOUT ESPN’s X GAMES FRANCHISE
ESPN, The Worldwide Leader in Action Sports, first developed its X Games franchise in 1995. Part of ESPN Original Entertainment, X Games, Winter X Games and All Access are just some of the original action sports programming currently shown on ESPN and ESPN2. In addition to the two U.S.-based events, ESPN has held X Games competitions and demonstration events around the world including Dubai, Thailand, Brazil, Mexico, Korea, Malaysia, China and Spain. The global franchise has also expanded its reach to EXPN.com, the definitive site for action sports fans, and to consumer products such as X Games bikes, protective gear, skateboards and DVDs.