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ESPN X Games Announces Addition Of Women’s Surfing

March 2, 2007 The 13th Annual Premier Action Sports Event to Offer Live Coverage of New Disciplines Including BMX Big Air on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC August 2-5, 2007.

The major change to the event slate is the addition of Women’s Surfing. The National Surf League’s (NSL) “The Game” will once again be the format for competition in Puerto Escondido, Mexico July 5-8. BMX Big Air, which was featured as a pay-per-view event at X Games 12, will now be part of the live network coverage. After 12 successful years as an X Games event, BMX Dirt will not be in this year’s lineup. Fourteen hours of live programming on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC will be offered as well as X Games 13 coverage on ESPN International, EXPN.com, ESPN Classic, ESPN360, SportsCenter and ESPN2’s X Center.

“In the tradition of progression, adding Women’s Surfing and BMX Big Air is a perfect fit and will highlight the best athletes in the world competing on the biggest stage in the world,” said Ron Semiao, senior vice president, ESPN Original Entertainment.

Surfing’s seven-time defending Women’s World Champion, Layne Beachley, commented on the addition from her hometown in Australia. “The talent of women’s surfing coming through the ranks from all over the world is definitely justified now as it is included into the X Games,” said Beachley. “I am really excited that finally the world of action sports acknowledges the existence of women’s professional surfing, and I think it is going to be a great environment for our sport to be exposed to.”

“The Game” was founded by pro surfer and co-founder of National Surf League (NSL) Brad Gerlach as a revolutionary surfing competition format. The Game’s first four years at X highlighted the traditional East and West Coast Rivalry. At X Games 13, “The Game” becomes global as the two coasts combine to form the US Team, and their opponent will be the World Team comprised of the top surfers from outside the US. Each team for the men and women will include six surfers. The National Surf League will serve as the sport organizer for Surfing in the X Games.

The BMX Big Air competition will feature BMX athletes riding down the Big Air ramp from a 60 or 80-foot roll-in, choosing to launch over a 50 or 70-foot gap, landing and continuing into a 27-foot quarter pipe. BMX superstar Kevin Robinson took the first place at last year’s X Games 12 with a backflip tuck no-hander to no-handed flair.

The X Games is the premier action sports event in the world, featuring athletes from across the globe competing for medals and prize money in the following sports: BMX Freestyle, Moto X, Skateboard, Surfing and Rally Car Racing. X Games 13 will be telecast live on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC. Last year for X Games 12, more than 138,000 fans attended the competition at The Home Depot Center and STAPLES Center, an increase of nearly 13 percent over X Games 11 in 2005 while another 35.6 million fans tuned in on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC.

ESPN, ABC AND ESPN INTERNATIONAL TO TELEVISE EVENT LIVE Last year, 35.6 million people tuned into X Games 12 and on-line, fans flocked to X Games video, with more than three million views of videos on ESPN Motion, ESPN.com’s integrated video platform, and ESPN360. In addition, EXPN.com X Games 12 drove a 104 percent increase in total page views and a 61 percent increase in total visits over X Games 11, making it the most-trafficked X Games ever. X Games 12 was also ESPN’s highest-rated X Games ever among young men in the 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54 age groups. Overall, X Games 12 averaged a 0.9 rating on ESPN telecasts, equal to X Games 11 and X Games 10, with a five percent increase in average overall households (816,640). On ABC telecasts, ratings were up among young men in key 12-17 and 18-34 age groups (30 percent and four percent, respectively, vs. X Games 11).

Tickets for X Games 13 will be available for purchase June 14 at all Ticketmaster locations and the box offices at STAPLES Center and The Home Depot Center.