RCS SPORT APPOINTS IMG MEDIA AS AUDIOVISUAL RIGHTS CONSULTANT FOR THE GIRO D’ITALIA AND ITS OTHER CYCLING CLASSICS

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RCS Sport, the sports event arm of the Milan-based RCS Media Group, has appointed IMG Media, the media division of IMG Worldwide, the global sports, fashion and media company, to be its exclusive worldwide audiovisual rights consultant and distributor for the Giro d'Italia as the race continues to capture an ever growing global audience.

The eight-year agreement, lasting until 2020, also includes RCS Sport's other cycling events: Milano-Sanremo -cycling's first major one-day classic of the year, the end of season Il Lombardia classic, the seven-day Tirreno-Adriatico stage race, the spectacular Strade Bianche race on the dirt roads of the Tuscany countryside and Gran Piemonte race.

Giacomo Catano, the CEO of RCS Sport said, "We are proud to start a long term agreement with the worldwide leader in global sports management.  We are sure that IMG Media's expertise will help us to improve the value and increase the international visibility of the Giro d'Italia and the other RCS Sport races and allow millions of cycling fans to enjoy the beauty and drama of Italian cycling.  RCS Sport has a strong international approach and we see IMG Media as the right partner to further develop our global strategy."

Ioris Francini, IMG Media's Executive Vice President, Head of Acquisitions and Sales Worldwide said, "We are very excited to be working with the RCS Group on expanding the media coverage for the Giro d'Italia and the other Italian road cycling races throughout the world. The Giro d'Italia is widely recognized as the toughest of the Grand Tours. The landscapes are breath-taking and feature some of the most iconic places on the planet.  As road cycling gains in popularity and attractiveness for promoters, sponsors, broadcasters and fans globally, IMG Media's mission is to further expand the success of the Giro d'Italia, the other Italian classic races, across all five continents.  The sponsor and media appetite for road cycling is as strong as it has ever been."

Michele Acquarone, RCS Sport Managing Director, said, "We are working hard to make the racing and the television coverage as spectacular as we can for a global audience. To confirm the success of the work we have done to raise the international profile of our cycling events, the last Giro d'Italia attracted huge interest around the world and was broadcast in 165 countries across all the five continents reaching 125 million households and a global cumulated audience of 775 million people who watched live and delayed coverage as well as dedicated highlights and news."

The 2012 edition of the Giro d'Italia started from Herning, Denmark and ended in Milan, with Canada's Ryder Hesjedal of the Garmin-Barracuda team the final overall winner. 22 teams and 198 riders from 37 different countries competed over the total distance of 3514.1km during the 21 stages.

The Giro d'Italia has rightly earned the title of 'The world's toughest race in the world's most beautiful place.'