Seven West Media : and ESPN to bring the X Games...

#xgames xgames.com/sydney

Seven and ESPN to bring the X Games to Australia for the first time

ESPN and Seven West Media to Collaborate on X Games at Sydney Olympic Park, Australia (Friday October 19th - Sunday October 21st 2018).

ESPN, the world's leading action sports content provider and creator of the X Games, has reached an agreement with Seven West Media - Australia's number one audience company - to host X Games Sydney, the first ever Australian X Games.

X Games Sydney will be showcasing Australia, action sport athletes and youth culture to our own country and the world with a distinctly Australian flavour. The event will be staged across 19 - 21 October 2018 in Sydney's Olympic Park.

"It's really exciting to finally bring the X Games to Australia," said Tim Reed, ESPN X Games vice president. "Australian athletes have played a huge part in the history of X Games, earning 138 medals and providing many memorable moments. We're thrilled to bring the event to their backyard, where ESPN's strong connection with a millennial audience is evident. The country and culture are perfect and we have a world class partner in Seven West Media, which will make this a special event for everyone involved."

Commenting, Kurt Burnette, Seven's Chief Revenue Officer, and Event Director, Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games and Rugby League World Cup, said: "We are proud to be bringing the X Games to Australia. We have a terrific relationship with ESPN and we look forward to working with them to deliver an outstanding event.

"Our commitment to the X Games underlines our leadership in sports and provides a clear indication of the future development of our rapidly expanding moves into the staging of major live events. We will be powered by the scale of Seven West Media and ESPN audiences across all platforms and devices.

"Our Red Live business has developed a proven business model in driving promotion and ticket sales, as we saw in particular with the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. Importantly, our direct involvement in the staging of the X Games and its delivery across all platforms, offers significant opportunities for us to build broad marketing partnerships for the event, in the lead-up and throughout the X Games, leveraging the power of our audience delivery and brands and of course, the remarkable brand that is X Games."

X Games Sydney's summer event line up will be produced by Seven West Media and will be comprised of the Skateboard, BMX and Moto X categories, with competitions across multiple disciplines (e.g. Big Air, Street, Freestyle, etc.). Music, art and an "X Fest" festival activation, which have become features of the events globally will bring Sydney's Olympic Park to life. X Games Sydney will demo e-sports to reflect its growing popularity and its integral part in Seven West Media's millennial audience strategy.

Like other events on the global X Games schedule, the Sydney event will be distinct and reflect the vibrant and youthful culture of the city, tapping into its rich sports, music and cultural scene to surround the competition with a festival that highlights the intersection of sports and lifestyle that exists in action sports. Every element from the course designs, to the event creative, to the medals hung around the athlete's necks will look and feel authentic and local. Seven West Media and ESPN aim to deliver the launch event that Sydney and Australian fans have been waiting 20 years for.

X Games began in 1995 in Newport, Rhode Island, and over its 20-year history has grown to become the most attended, prestigious and widely-distributed event of its type. There are currently three events annually: a summer event in Minneapolis, a winter event in Aspen, and a mixed summer/winter event in Norway. It is among the largest festivals in the US with the most recent X Games in Minneapolis, Minnesota attracting 110,000 people over four days. The City of Minneapolis, Minnesota Sports Facility Authority (MSFA), SMG and Meet Minneapolis and the truly impressive new, state- of-the-art U.S. Bank Stadium provided an extraordinary opportunity to grow the X Games in a new region of the US and in a city that's quickly becoming recognized as a premier sports and entertainment destination. Sixteen Australian athletes were invited to compete in the Minneapolis event and X Games Sydney is expected to attract up to 68,000+ people, celebrating the passion and achievements of young Australians in this arena.

The X Games is one of the most significant and authentic youth brands in the world, and the opportunity to produce and broadcast an X Games event aligns perfectly with that strategy, and with Seven West Media's company vision to deliver engagement and value through powerful storytelling. A major attraction is the abundance of Australian athlete stories to tell and the existing awareness and respect for the event among our target demographic.

Past and future Australian athletes include: Moto X Freestyle - Josh Sheehan (six-time medalist, including one gold), Clinton Moore (five-time medalist), Rob Adelberg (two-time medalist), Harry Bink (up and comer); Moto X Best Trick - Jackson Strong (four-time medalist, including three gold), Josh Sheehan (six-time medalist, including one gold), Clinton Moore (five-time medalist), Harry Bink (up and comer); Moto X Best Whip - Jarryd McNeil ( nine-time medalist, including four gold); Moto X Step up - Jarryd McNeil (nine-time medalist, including four gold); BMX Dirt - Kyle Baldock (eight-time medalist, including six gold), Logan Martin (three-time medalist), Brandon Loupos (contender), Andy Buckworth (bronze medalist); BMX Big Air - Vince Byron (nine-time medalist, including two gold), Andy Buckworth (bronze medalist); Skateboard Big Air - Jake Brown (six-time medalist, including two gold); Skateboard Street - Shane O'Neill (silver medalist).

Australian X Games star and 2015 Red Bull X- Fighter champion Clinton Moore said: "I'm excited about X Games coming to Australia in 2018. I feel like in every X Games I've competed in in the past, it has been on their turf, but to have it here in Australia, I feel like it is my X Games to defend, and there's nothing like having the support of your own country."

The X Games is already a huge global brand with millions of viewers and followers worldwide and an inbuilt audience in Australia. Given the huge support for action sports in this market, hosting the pinnacle X Games Sydney event will generate enormous excitement and support amongst the fan-base and broader population.

X Games Sydney further strengthens Seven's leadership in sports in Australia and its increasing presence in the staging of live events. Seven is the network of the XXIII Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang in 2018 and the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo in 2020. Seven is also the home of the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in 2018.

Seven will seamlessly cross promote X Games Sydney and build storylines that support future Australian Olympians. As an outdoor event, all medal event courses will be built and located on the field in the stadium. Across three days of action including 12 X Games Sydney medal events, event audiences and those watching on screens across the Seven West Media, ESPN and digital and social platforms will be treated to Vert, Moto X, Big Air and Street demo events and entertainment programmed each day to maintain the live experience excitement and fan engagement. Featuring four spectacular and fan friendly viewing course designs - Big Air, Street, Moto X, BMX Dirt, X Games Sydney will become a major action sport attraction for sponsors and fans.

The full schedule of X Games Sydney 2018 events will be announced soon.

For ticketing info visit the website www.xgames.com/sydney where additional information on all X Games Sydney events will be forthcoming for fans.

HD MP4: https://www.dropbox.com/s/vdn5hlhrw25u71o/XGAMES%20SYDNEY.mp4?dl=0

Broadcast Quality MXF: https://www.dropbox.com/s/93g4xaoz5cs357z/XGAMES%20SYDNEY.m xf?dl=0

ESPN Images photo link of Australian athletes competing at X Games:

https://library.espnimages.com/?c=35067&k=7e5dbafe19

Men's BMX Big Air

Men's Skateboard Big Air (Men's Scooter Big Air demo only)

Men's Skateboard Street Men's BMX Street

Women's Skateboard Street (Men's Scooter Street demo only)

Men's Moto X Freestyle Men's Moto X Step Up Men's Moto X Best Whip Men's Moto X Best Trick

Greg Smith +61 3 9697 7528; gsmith@seven.com.au

Lauren Thomas +61 2 8777 7566; lathomas@seven.com.au

Brad Timmins + 61 2 8777 7305; btimmins@seven.com.au

Brook Rutherford + 61 2 8777 7308; brutherford@seven.com.au