ISU extends partnership with Two Circles across media rights and production

The International Skating Union (ISU) and Two Circles have announced a new four-year partnership to bolster skating’s global and continued transformation, bringing together media rights advisory, Rest of World sales and broadcast production across all ISU’s sports.

The partnership is a key pillar of the ISU’s ambition to grow its global fanbase, strengthen connections with audiences and create greater long-term value through its events, athletes, and commercial rights. This first centralized RFP tender for the ISU is vital to the revolution of the sport, coming alongside the redesigning of digital architecture and laying stronger foundations for skating’s continued growth.

Under the new agreement, Two Circles will support delivery of the ISU’s dynamic commercial strategy, that identifies opportunities across media rights, sponsorship, direct-to-consumer and events, with the aim of creating sustainable growth and delivering incremental value to all stakeholders across skating. As part of the extended relationship, Two Circles will advise the ISU on balancing reach and revenue across all media rights, while leading Rest of World sales to open up new markets beyond its core territories.

Alongside the media rights activity, Two Circles will provide production support for the duration of the deal, including live broadcast production and shoulder content to enhance broadcast promotion and storytelling, while creating a more consistent and centralized production approach across the various disciplines of the ISU calendar.

The Partnership will deliver against the ISU’s Vision by creating more opportunities for fans to discover, watch, follow, engage and learn about Figure Skating, Speed Skating, Short Track and Synchronized Skating.

Colin Smith, ISU Director General said: “After the modernization of our governance structures and successful events before passionate global audiences, this media sales and live production partnership is a vital step to realising our strategic vision for skating. The integrated approach to the RFP process lays the foundations for efficient processes, working with industry-leading partners to drive value for everyone involved in skating sports.”

Gareth Balch, CEO and Co-Founder, Two Circles, said: “In recent years, we’ve seen the ambition ISU has for the future of skating and the passion of its global fanbase. The opportunity now is to connect media rights, production and content more closely around the fan journey, helping ISU reach more people and build deeper engagement across its sports. We’re proud to be continuing this journey alongside ISU and supporting its ambition to bring more people closer to skating, on and off the ice.”

The partnership will be delivered through Two Circles’ multi-capability offering, bringing together deep expertise to drive commercial progress across all of ISU. This will be led from Two Circles’ Bern office, drawing on expertise from across its global teams.

About International Skating Union (ISU)

The International Skating Union (ISU) is the worldwide governing body for Figure Skating, Speed Skating, Short Track Speed Skating and Synchronized Skating. Founded in 1892, the ISU is the oldest International Federation in winter sports. Today, it represents more than 100 Members across nearly 80 countries around the world and is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Each season, the ISU delivers around 50 international competitions, with ice-skating disciplines consistently ranking among the most watched events at the Olympic Winter Games.

Since 2024, the ISU has embarked on an exciting new chapter with ISU Vision 2030 – a strategic growth plan designed to build an athlete-first, Member-friendly and fan-centric organization. This vision reflects the ISU’s commitment to honoring skating’s proud traditions while embracing innovation, governance modernization, and extensive engagement with the skating community, partners and new generations of fans worldwide, all from its “Home of Skating” headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.

For media enquiries contact:

Eliza MacQuillan

Communications Manager

+44 7938912705

eliza.macquillan@twocircles.com

Martyn Hindley

Head of Corporate Communications & PR

+41 79 581 9309

Martyn.hindley@isu.org