The overall viewing figure for the event, which was hosted by the Czech Republic in May, compares favourably to that for the 2014 edition which attracted an audience of 945 million.  

This year's World Championship was aired to 165 territories worldwide, receiving a total of 5,381 hours of coverage.

New or expanded contracts ensured additional coverage in Italy, The Netherlands, Thailand, Myanmar, Indonesia and Malaysia among others.

In terms of on-site attendance, the tournament also achieved a new record with 741,690 spectators; more than 100,000 more than at the previous event in Belarus.

Additionally, there were 250,000 supporters in the dedicated fan villages outside the arenas in the cities of Prague and Ostrava.

Infront’s strategic approach towards establishing a significantly broader social media presence for the 2015 World Championship focused on video content – created to go socially viral and spread on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook – and the official event app presented by car manufacturer Škoda.

This resulted in a total of 11.6 million video views during the tournament, it is claimed, while watch time on YouTube increased by a factor of 41 up to 448,000 hours as compared to 2014.

Details were presented at the IIHF semi-annual Congress, currently taking place in Dubrovnik, Croatia.

"The IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship is a trademark for top-level ice hockey and the 2015 event has proven its worldwide appeal and growing demand once more," said IIHF President René Fasel.

"We are proud to announce, together with Infront, the incredible pinnacle of 1 billion in audience reach and at the same time, the highest spectator attendance ever recorded for the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship.

"The atmosphere at the venues in Ostrava and Prague was inspiring, while our broadcast partners, sponsors and the fans themselves on social media platforms carried the enthusiasm to the world."

Russian great Alexander Ovechkin and Canadian captain Sidney Crosby, both stars of the National Hockey League (NHL), came head-to-head In the World Championship final, with eventual winners Canada taking home Infront’s newly-launched Team Jackpot. 

The recurring CHF 1 million (£673,000/$1 million/€900,000) prize is awarded to teams who win all their World Championship games in regulation time.

Bruno Marty, executive director of winter sports at Infront, said: "There are three pillars that make our partnership with the IIHF so successful; first of all our focus on the overall growth and reach of the tournament, proven by these unparalleled audience numbers.

"Further, our investment into the sport’s future which is demonstrated by the introduction of the new Team Jackpot, as well as by the strong partnerships we have built with many loyal broadcasters and sponsors.

"And thirdly, our commitment to boost the event brand and its fan engagement across all platforms."

Last year, the IIHF extended its media and marketing partnership with Infront to secure ongoing support for all media and commercial rights to the World Championship as well as all other services including production.

Infront’s contract continues until 2023 and will be in place to handle events such as next year's World Championship in Russia.

Scheduled to take place in May, the competition is due to be held across two venues – the Ice Palace in Moscow and the Yubileiny Sports Palace in St Petersburg.



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