Eurosport has been trying to align itself with top personalities in the sports world, and a new series featuring U.S. skier Lindsey Vonn is part of this ongoing philosophy, network CEO Peter Hutton said. The pan-European sports net on Wednesday announced it has teamed up with the 2010 Olympic downhill Gold Medalist for a new series that will hit the airwaves in February. The series, called “Chasing History,” will provide viewers with exclusive access to Vonn’s life, on and off the slopes. It is the first time Eurosport has partnered with an individual athlete for such a project. The series is part of Eurosport’s ongoing transformation that started when Discovery Communications took control of the network in May '14. “As we sort of try to change the brand and identify ourselves with the much more premium sports world, the idea of aligning with individuals as commentators, talent, and subjects of digital and broadcast content is very much part of our philosophy,” Hutton told SBD Global. “We are trying to align ourselves with personalities that can speak to a sporting audience and hopefully to a wider audience as well.” The series will follow Vonn as she prepares to return to the Olympics following two injury-prone seasons that kept her from competing at the 2014 Sochi Games. “I’m thrilled to be given this opportunity to share my story with Eurosport through ‘Chasing History,’” Vonn said. “Eurosport has followed me throughout my professional career, and now is the right time to give an insight into my personal life.”
MORE TO COME: With less than 500 days remaining until the opening ceremony of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games, “Chasing History” marks the beginning of Eurosport’s attempt to tell the human stories behind the athletes. Kicking things off with the most successful downhill skier in history is expected to open up opportunities to do similar things with other athletes, Hutton said. “We are talking about other people as well, but Lindsey is the trailblazer for it,” he said. “We benefit from that as well. Certainly it becomes an easier concept when you say, ‘Lindsey Vonn is doing this with us,’ that’s great in terms of talking to other high profile athletes all over the world.” The series will be broadcast across all Eurosport channels and platforms, including OTT service Eurosport Player. Exclusive additional content will also be available on a dedicated app set to be launched ahead of the show. Hutton did not reveal whether Vonn’s official partners such as Red Bull, Under Armour or GoPro will be involved in the series through ad buys. Eurosport is expected to launch other new formats and shows in the buildup to its first Olympics coverage. “I’ve got a computer full of power points, ideas and suggestions,” Hutton said. “It’s good that we open ourselves up to sort of new ways of content.” Eurosport in June ’15 secured the Olympic broadcast rights from ’18-24 for 50 European countries and territories through a €1.3B deal with the IOC.
