X Games Kicks Off New Era With First Production as an Independent Company ESPN sold controlling interest in the event to MSP Sports Capital last year By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor
Friday, January 27, 2023 - 12:57 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
A new chapter in the history of X Games begins today in Aspen, CO, as the now independently run company hosts its first major event since ESPN sold a controlling stake to MSP Sports Capital in October. ESPN (still a minority owner) and ABC will carry live coverage throughout the weekend, but X Games leadership is also looking to create a more multiplatform, interactive experience to appeal to younger audiences.
I like to call us a 27-year-old startup, says new X Games CEO Steve Flisler, because, even though X Games has been one of the most incredible action-sports and lifestyle-media brands for years, we're coming at this with a totally new mindset. We want to create a true 360 audience experience that goes beyond the linear-TV broadcast. We're not thinking of streaming and digital as a second screen; we're thinking of it as an extended experience. We are inviting our at-home audience to hang out with us and sit and chat live on Twitch or YouTube so that they feel like they are a part of it. And we'll be doing that 10+ hours a day.
Onsite in Aspen: Familiar Production Players Return, But With New Goals In terms of the production operations in Aspen, X Games veterans will see a lot of familiar faces from years past. Echo Entertainment is back to roll out all the technical infrastructure and oversee production for the linear broadcast. Dome Productions trucks are parked at the compound, which is powered by Illumination Dynamics. BSI is back to manage RF wireless transmission across the mountain.
Across the three venues at Buttermilk Mountain (Big Air, SuperPipe, and Slopestyle), there are 53 unique camera positions to cover five sports and two host sets (one for broadcast, one for digital). The camera complement includes a CondorCam point-to-point wired aerial system, three jibs, seven super slo-mos, and four RF FollowCams, which are used by camera operators on skis and snowboards to provide a moving shot from right behind or on board each athlete in the Slopestyle and Big Air. The RF cameras provide dynamic tracking shots of the athletes as they compete. X Games will also deploy an ENG drone to capture beauty shots from around the mountain.
X Games not only represents one of the most iconic media properties out there, Flisler says. It is also synonymous with innovation. The spirit of X Games is that there are no limits - whether it's the field to play or how we create the broadcast. We are going to continue that tradition and take it to the next level. I'm excited for people to see what we have in store.
The production team has also refreshed the graphics package that will be featured in both linear and digital coverage. The new look of the motion-graphics and animations packages, he notes, adds a new color palette to the iconic X Games structural elements. X Games is also creating custom graphics and animations for several brand partners, as well as integrating the overall look with its new merchandise line.
We are building out this weekend-long content experience that will [feature] premium flagship events on ESPN and ABC as well as a more participatory streaming experience, says Flisler. We think about it like a macro and micro version of the storyline, where we have a centralized content operation that can serve both rather than bifurcating the linear and digital. It's an extended experience, so that means that everything - our graphics, music, guests, and the overall presentation - has to be done [in tandem].
Creating a 360 Audience Experience: Fortress LA Joins the Party New to Aspen this year is Fortress LA, a production and creative team that X Games has brought in to manage all streaming production. Known for producing live streams of high-profile music festivals and digital events, Fortress LA has been brought in to bring a new mindset to the X Games live-streaming coverage on YouTube and Twitch.
As we look to grow the streaming [presentation], says Flisler, we will take our premium broadcast package and tweak it a little bit [for streaming] with more humor and sound bites to make it feel more raw. The term I like to use is polished scuff.'
When an athlete wins a gold medal, for example, they will head to the linear-broadcast set for a four- or five-minute interview with co-hosts Selema Masekala and Victoria Arlen - as has traditionally been the case on X Games broadcasts. After that, the gold-medal winner will be walked over to the digital host set (located at the new interactive X Fest Snow festival experience) for a more casual extended interview for the streaming audience.
That will be more of a casual-style hangout, says Flisler. It could be 30 or more minutes. We might even ask them to bring their trainer or friends on with them. We're going to lean into that kind of style. We made a very conscious decision to build both a linear-TV host set and a digital host set in order to create that 360 audience experience.
In addition to a dedicated host set, this year's streaming experience will focus heavily on the music performances taking place throughout the next three days.
Music has always been a part of the X Games body, notes Flisler, but we're making it a bigger part of the [presentation]. Rather than having one big concert at night, we have seven music acts that will be integrated into the event schedule throughout the three days. And we're going to stream a majority of those acts right on to Twitch and YouTube. If you hang out all weekend, you're going to get the competition, but you're also going to have an entire
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
01/12/2025
L3Harris and PentenAmio formalise their teaming agreement at MilCIS 2025, streng...
01/12/2025
Artemis II is NASA's first crewed flight test of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. The crew, from left: Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Vic...
01/12/2025
IRVINE, Calif. Wooden Camera has introduced its new Accessory Collection for the Canon EOS C50. The new lineup includes a low-profile, gimbal-ready cage, expand...
01/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for its Dec. 18 Open Commission Meeting that will include a vote on a report an...
01/12/2025
In most years, a graph of annual local TV ad spending is about as predictable as an electrocardiogram of a reasonably healthy patient in a doctor's office. ...
01/12/2025
Many industries have seen big-ticket hardware turn into software. Switchers, though, demand a combination of real-time performance and sheer bandwidth that has ...
01/12/2025
GENEVA Shanghai will host the next quadrennial Radiocommunication Assembly (RA-27) and World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-27), Oct. 11-Nov. 12, 2027. This...
01/12/2025
NEW YORK Just in time for Giving Tuesday tomorrow (Dec. 2), the Broadcasters Foundation of America is seeking out donations to help television and radio industr...
01/12/2025
STOCKHOLM, Sweden Net Insight CEO Crister Fritzson has informed the company's board that he will retire from the video transport and media cloud technology ...
01/12/2025
The prequel to the global hit Sky Original mob crime saga, Gomorrah' is a s...
01/12/2025
Featuring Florence Welch, Red Hot Chilli Peppers' Flea, designer Bella Freud...
01/12/2025
Back to All News
A Down to Earth, All Too Relatable Hero: Cashero' Teaser ...
01/12/2025
In the rush to deliver content to every screen, many broadcasters overlook one of the most crucial steps in the workflow: format and frame rate conversion. Get ...
01/12/2025
Fox Corporation Chief Financial Officer Steve Tomsic to Participate in Upcoming ...
01/12/2025
Arvato Systems' Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) Receives BSI C5 Certification (T...
01/12/2025
Summary This short video gives you an summary of the changes in under two minutes.
--...
01/12/2025
As the festive season approaches, RT Supporting the Arts is proud to showcase a...
01/12/2025
Researchers worldwide rely on open-source technologies as the foundation of their work. To equip the community with the latest advancements in digital and physi...
01/12/2025
Festive specials of Christmas in Kilmainham presented by Marty Whelan, High Road Low Road, Callan Kicks the Year and Keys to My Life
Ring in the New Year with ...
01/12/2025
Architect and television presenter Hugh Wallace, best known to RT audiences as a long-serving judge on Home of the Year, has died at the age of 68.
In a state...
28/11/2025
Nadia Fall attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Brides at the Egyptian Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Donyale West/...
28/11/2025
It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...
28/11/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for the December Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2025 ...
28/11/2025
The Professional Fighters League is looking to super-serve fans of mixed martial...
28/11/2025
Fubo has released in beta on select Roku devices a new feature that lets users display up to four simultaneous streams at once....
28/11/2025
The WNBA playoffs and Week 4 of the NFL regular season highlight the list of live sports events airing on television this weekend....
28/11/2025
The 32nd class of honorees to the B+C Hall of Fame took to the stage at New York's Ziegfeld Ballroom on September 26 for a gala induction event. Click below...
28/11/2025
We hold in our hands the very last Next Text for Next TV, the weekly back-and-fo...
28/11/2025
DirecTV said it made a deal with EchoStar to buy EchoStar's video businesses, including satellite-TV provider Dish TV and virtual MVPD Sling TV, for $1 plus...
28/11/2025
The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, the premier industry event paying tribute to the influencers, innovators and shining lights of broadcast, cable and streami...
28/11/2025
Friday 28 November 2025
Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...
28/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...
28/11/2025
Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders Marks a Grand...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
26/11/2025
A cinematic snow sculpture at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Randall Michelson...
X Games Kicks Off New Era With First Production as an Independent Company ESPN sold controlling interest in the event to MSP Sports Capital last year By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor 
