FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, October 5th, 2017

NBC SPORTS GROUP AND IRONMAN ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP TO SHOWCASE UNPRECEDENTED COVERAGE OF THE 2017 IRONMAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

2017 IRONMAN World Championship Coverage Begins Saturday, Oct. 14 at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN

NBC, NBCSN, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports App to Provide Comprehensive Coverage

Saturday’s Coverage Features Live Look-Ins on NBC and NBCSN, Includes IRONMAN: Quest for Kona Series Special and The Kona Preview Show

 

TAMPA, Fla., and STAMFORD, Conn. (Oct. 5, 2017) – NBC Sports Group and IRONMAN, a Wanda Sports Holdings company, have announced a partnership to showcase unprecedented coverage of the 2017 IRONMAN® World Championship live from Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i on Saturday, October 14, on NBC, NBCSN, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app in the United States. Comprehensive coverage of the event begins with the legendary IRONMAN World Championship swim course in Kailua Bay at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, and wraps up with the male and female professional finishes at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Coverage also includes live look-ins throughout race day on NBC and NBCSN, and more than nine hours of live streaming race coverage on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app, as well as IRONMAN.com, making this the most robust coverage of the IRONMAN World Championship.

 

“We are excited to expand our long-standing partnership with NBC to include live coverage of the professional race at the IRONMAN World Championship across multiple networks and digital platforms for the first time ever,” said Christopher Stadler, Chief Marketing Officer for IRONMAN. “This is an important step forward for the exposure of IRONMAN, our world championship event, and the amazing professional athletes who compete.”

 

For years, thousands of spectators have witnessed the awe-inspiring live action of the IRONMAN World Championship in Hawai`i in person or via streaming on IRONMAN.com. With this partnership with NBC Sports Group, the 2017 race will reach further than ever before and will be accessible to its largest audience ever. The new live coverage options will allow NBC’s audience of over 115,000,000 households to view the iconic event across the country.

 

NBC Sports Group’s live race coverage of the 2017 IRONMAN World Championship includes:

  • Live race start coverage on NBCSN from 12:30-2 p.m. ET
  • Live reports on NBC and NBCSN from 2-8:30 p.m. ET
  • Live race finish on NBCSN from 8:30-10 p.m. ET
  • Comprehensive streaming coverage on NBCSports.com, the NBC Sports app, and IRONMAN.com from 12:30-10 p.m. ET.

 

For nearly 40 years, the IRONMAN World Championship triathlon has showcased not only the raw power and competitive nature of the top endurance athletes in the world, but also some of the most extraordinary and impactful stories of courage and determination from the age-group athletes and everyday individuals competing alongside them.

 

IRONMAN has won 16 Emmy Awards for the production quality and powerful messaging showcased in its annual IRONMAN World Championship broadcast special. While the 90-minute show highlighting the iconic race and its charismatic participants returns to NBC with the 2017 premiere on December 9, 2017 from 2:30-4 p.m. ET, it is now supported by great new programming that includes the IRONMAN: Quest for Kona Series (October 4 – December 7 on NBCSN), The Kona Preview Show (December 7 and 9 on NBCSN), and the 2017 IRONMAN® 70.3® World Championship special (October 13 on NBCSN).

 

For more information about the 2017 IRONMAN World Championship race day live coverage, the NBC broadcast special, the Kona Preview Show, and the 2017 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship special, visit www.ironman.com/tunein. For more information on the IRONMAN brand and global event series, please visit www.ironman.com. Media may contact press@ironman.com.

 

 

NBC Sports

When the Comcast-NBCUniversal transaction was completed in January 2011, the sports assets of the two companies combined to form NBC Sports Group, which serves sports fans 24/7 with premier live events, insightful studio shows, and compelling original programming. The sports media company consists of NBC Sports, NBC Olympics, NBCSN, Golf Channel, NBC Sports Regional Networks, NBC Sports Radio and NBC Sports Digital, which includes NBCSports.com, NBCOlympics.com, GolfChannel.com, the digital assets of the NBC Sports Regional Networks, Rotoworld, the NBC Sports Talk franchise, multiple apps, and two transactional sports businesses, GolfNow and SportsEngine. NBC Sports Group possesses an unparalleled collection of television rights agreements, partnering with some of the most prestigious sports properties in the world: the International Olympic Committee and United States Olympic Committee, the NFL, NHL, NASCAR, PGA TOUR, The R&A, PGA of America, Churchill Downs, Premier League, Tour de France, French Open, Formula One, IndyCar and many more.

 

IRONMAN World Championship

Since its inception in 1978 on the island of Oahu, the IRONMAN World Championship has etched its name in history through stellar performances, inspirational participants and emotional memories. In 1981, the race moved from the tranquil shores of Waikiki to the barren lava fields of Kona on the Island of Hawai`i where it continues to take place to this day. The race now sees over 2,400 athletes embark on a 140.6-mile journey that presents the ultimate test of body, mind and spirit to earn the title of IRONMAN World Champion. The most iconic one-day sporting event in the world is the culmination of 40 global IRONMAN events with athletes around the world striving for one of the coveted qualifying slots.

 

About IRONMAN

A Wanda Sports Holdings company, IRONMAN operates a global portfolio of events that includes the IRONMAN® Triathlon Series, the IRONMAN®70.3® Triathlon Series, 5150™ Triathlon Series, the Rock n’ Roll Marathon Series®, Iron Girl®, IRONKIDS®, International Triathlon Union World Triathlon Series races, road cycling events including the UCI Velothon® Series, mountain bike races including the Absa Cape Epic®, premier marathons including the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon, and other multisport races. IRONMAN’s events, together with all other Wanda Sports Holdings events, provide more than a million participants annually the benefits of endurance sports through the company’s vast offerings. The iconic IRONMAN® Series of events is the largest participation sports platform in the world. Since the inception of the IRONMAN® brand in 1978, athletes have proven that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE® by crossing finish lines at the world’s most challenging endurance races. Beginning as a single race, IRONMAN has grown to become a global sensation with more than 200 events across 50 countries. For more information, visit www.ironman.com.

 

About Wanda Sports Holdings

Wanda Sports Holdings is the world’s leading sports business entity, founded to capture the opportunities in the global sports industry and to contribute to the prosperous international sports landscape – in three key areas: 1) Spectator Sports (media and marketing business), 2) Participation Sports (active lifestyle business), 3) Services (digital, production and service business). Wanda Sports Holding incorporates the international sports marketing company Infront Sports & Media, the iconic endurance brand IRONMAN, and Wanda Sports China. The headquarters are in Guangzhou, China.