Stamford, CT - Outdoor Life Network (OLN®) has purchased the Gravity Games, the highest-rated, action sports television event in the United States, from Octagon, Inc., OLN President and Chief Executive Officer E. Roger Williams announced today. The September 2004 Gravity Games will feature more than 225 world-class action sports athletes from 13 countries, competing in 9 events. A 2005 Winter Gravity Games is currently being planned as an extension of the franchise. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
OLN is the premiere destination on television for adventure and action sports, and our acquisition of the Gravity Games further adds to our appeal with young viewers living an active lifestyle, said Williams. This is an important step in our strategy of associating the OLN brand with events defining action sports, as we did with the 2003 Tour de France.
OLN has retained Octagon's services for the staging of the games in a multi-year agreement. Outdoor Life Network is extremely committed to the Games. Octagon will continue to provide marketing, sales and event operations support as well and advise OLN on the action sports industry," said Rick Dudley, President and CEO of Octagon. "We are very proud of our five-year history with the Gravity Games and helping the Games become a premier property in the world of action sports. We are pleased to have the opportunity for an on-going role."
Sixteen of the top 20 highest rated action sports broadcasts have included Gravity Games events, including three of the five highest rated action sports telecasts and the single most viewed televised action sport event. OLN will air more than 20 hours of coverage of the competition and will produce a high-definition feed of the Games.
The action sports featured in the Gravity Games will include bike competitions, inline skating, skateboarding, wakeboarding and freestyle motocross. Competitions take place on water, vert, dirt and street courses. Potential sports for the 2005 Winter Gravity Games competition include Superpipe, Big Air Snowboarding and Skiing, Boardercrossâ/ Skiercross, Big Mountain Snowboarding/Freeskiing, Gravity Quarterpipe and Freestyle Snowmobile.
The summer Gravity Games also showcase a variety of lifestyle elements that appeal to its young and active enthusiasts. These include interactive elements, film, product displays and entertainment showcases including:
Live Music with some of today's hottest young bands.
Music all through the event as top DJ's spin records and MC's gets the spectators involved in product give-aways during breaks in the competitions.
Interactive Experience provides spectators with a unique opportunity to capture the thrill of the event. Spectators can inline skate or skateboard on an obstacle-filled street course, soar on a BMX dirt course complete with jumps, banks and berms or scale a climbing wall.
Outdoor Life Network (OLN) is the leader in outdoor adventure and action sports television. Now in more than 56 million homes, OLN is the home of The Tour de France and the ultimate resource for people interested in the outdoor lifestyle. The Network offers exclusive programming in four primary areas: Outdoor Adventure, Action Sports, Field & Stream and Bulls & Rodeo.
