The International Skating Union (ISU) governing body has chosen UK-based sports marketing agency Two Circles as its global partner for media rights, sales, and production, under a new four-year deal.
The new agreement builds on the pair’s previous collaborations, which included launching the ISU’s Fan Survey earlier this year to analyse events, in-venue experiences, and broadcasts.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
Under its new role, Two Circles will take on a broader remit that spans media rights advisory, ‘rest of the world’ sales, and production across all four ice skating disciplines – figure skating, synchronized skating, speed skating, and short track.
Two Circles will implement ISU’s commercial strategy, identifying opportunities in media rights, sponsorship, direct-to-consumer initiatives, and events.
Specifically, Two Circles will advise the ISU on balancing reach and revenue for all media rights while leading sales outside core markets to unlock new territories beyond the sport’s traditional strongholds.
Alongside its media rights duties, Two Circles will also provide production support throughout the agreement, including live broadcast production and supplementary content to enhance broadcast promotion and storytelling.
Gareth Balch, chief executive and co-founder of Two Circles, said: “In recent years, we have witnessed the ISU's ambition for the future of skating and the passion of its global fan base. The opportunity now lies in connecting media rights, production, and content more closely around the fan journey, helping the ISU reach more people and deepen engagement across its sports.
“We are proud to continue this journey alongside the ISU and support its ambition to bring more people closer to skating, both on and off the ice.”
The announcement comes seven months after the ISU began a tender process to select a partner agency or agencies to help it exploit both its commercial and broadcast rights.
Agencies had until March 26 to submit an expression of interest.
The move is part of the ISU's overall commercial growth strategy for the next few years, as laid out in its Vision 2030 plan, which aims to grow skating globally through innovation and increase engagement with a fan base claimed to be around 330 million.
The new partnership adds to ISU’s other partnership with professional services firm Deloitte, which acts as the ISU’s strategic partner, working alongside the federation to “strengthen its digital ecosystem and enhance fan experience.”
Colin Smith, ISU director general, stated: "Following the modernization of our governance structures and the success of Events in front of passionate global audiences, this partnership for media sales and live production is a critical step in realizing our strategic vision for skating.
“The integrated approach to the tender process establishes the foundation for efficient processes, working with industry-leading partners to generate value for all stakeholders in skating sports."
The deal adds to Two Circles' growing portfolio of clients, having most recently secured a contract to support the next phase of global audience and commercial growth for the Diamond League athletics series.
Other recent partnerships won by Two Circles include an agreement with the Swedish Basketball Federation to support the development of fan engagement and ticketing around the country’s national teams and an expansion of its partnership with the Matchroom Multi Sport (MMS) organization, with a remit to help boost the reach of WNT.TV, the streaming platform of the World Nineball Tour (WNT) – which is run by MMS.
Other agreements secured by Two Circles this year include Squash Media and Marketing, the commercial arm of the Professional Squash Association, German soccer’s DFB, tennis’ ATP Challenger Tour, and the Mountain West collegiate conference, among others.
In February, Two Circles hired Melissa Chapman as its new group executive director for content to strengthen its offering and services.
Two Circles' content clients include English soccer's top-tier Premier League, the England and Wales Cricket Board, and the UK's iconic Wimbledon tennis championships.
