Skiing World Championships TV rights still undecided six months out

With the Falun Ski World Championships just six months away, a cloud of uncertainty hangs over the event as TV broadcasting rights remain unsettled in both Sweden and Norway.

Pernilla Bonde, secretary-general of the Swedish Ski Association, voiced strong dissatisfaction with the situation, calling it "terribly bad." She explained that Sweden has been in continuous dialogue with the International Ski Federation (FIS) about the importance of securing broadcasting deals. "It's not possible to do more from Sweden's side – we are in the hands of FIS in this matter," Bonde stated.

The FIS has been notably slow in selling the TV rights for the championship in Dalarna. "FIS says it will be finished soon, but we have heard that before, so now I want to see results," Bonde said, adding that a firm deadline has been set for an agreement by the end of August.

This delay has also caused concern in Norway. Back in May, the Norwegian Ski Federation urged for a swift resolution, with event manager Terje Lund stating, "It's past overtime." NRK and TV 2 shared broadcasting duties for last year's Ski World Championships in Trondheim. In Norway, major TV rights are subject to regulations, and the Ski World Championships are classified as a "listed event," meaning they must be broadcast on open channels reaching over 90 percent of the population.

“

FIS sier at det skal være ferdig om kort tid, men det har vi hørt før, så nå vil jeg se resultat. Vi har satt en ganske skarp deadline om at det må være en avtale på plass før slutten av august.