With X Games 16 wrapped up, we got a chance to talk with Chris Stiepock, the X Games Vice President of Sponsorship and Content, about the recently completed X Games, the Street League and what’s next for the ESPN franchise.
How did it work having more centralized venues this year? Will the event stay in LA?
I think it definitely justified the decision to move away from Carson and head downtown. I think the whole vision was to really create a big action sports lifestyle festival and energize the whole downtown, and that’s exactly what happened day and night. There was a constant industry presence all day and all night, so it was great.
As for the event staying in LA, yes. We are already talking about next year. Any time you move to a new venue, you have some things you don’t know how will go – from the movement of people to event times – so we are meeting about how to make things better for next year.
What was new this year and how did it go?
SuperRally (described as being like motocross but with cars) was new and we tried a new format for Moto X Speed and Style (where riders not only race but perform freestyle tricks).
We also introduced a digital competition called Real Street. There were 12 skaters, each working with a filmer, and they had to submit a new one-minute video part that you can watch here and a panel of judges voted. The winners did a Game of “Skate” on the venue on Sunday. It was definitely a way to get the whole filming aspect of the industry, which is a huge part, into the X Games, and a way to get guys who aren’t necessarily competition guys but phenomenal athletes involved. All the editions went really well.
How did advertising for the event go? What percentage of advertising came from action sports brands?
We had more partners this year than last year. We changed our sponsorship model to be more flexible and to create more categories. Some were non-exclusive, like beverage. The was the first year Monster has gotten involved. We had Oakley, Converse, and probably more endemic presence than ever before. We have changed to be more flexible and embrace more partners at more levels. Early feedback is that our partners were really happy.
On page 2: ratings, partnering with Dyrdek, and the future of surfing in the X Games
Do you have ratings yet?
We don’t have ratings yet, but in terms of spectators, the LA Coliseum is so huge, it fits almost 100,000 people, so those nights were the biggest. The moto disciplines at Staples Center Sunday night were also huge. The street course and park course were both at the Event Deck (at L.A. Live), and every day they sold out. We could have doubled the size of these venues.
Was there one event that was the most viewed or most popular?
Not really. Everyone was buzzed on Super Rally. The feedback from spectators, sponsors, and industry — everyone seemed to be pretty jazzed on it.
Why did you partner with Rob Dyrdek’s Street League?
Because for a long time we have had a belief if we could just have all the skaters to tune in at one time, we could all draw a pretty big number, and ESPN couldn’t do that on their own. It needed to be a person that the national skating community is comfortable with and there’s no better guy than Dyrdek.
When you combine his brand and marketing mind with Monster and DC shoes, you get the feel that it’s something that could really work and compliment the X Games. All the competitions were great. We definitely want feedback from athletes, but considering new venues and how much we moved, we are really happy with how things went.
Will there ever be a surfing component?
Yeah, but its got to be the right element, and we believe in live television and live surfing is really difficult. We are in communication with a lot of people from the ASP to all the surfing entities. Our credo is we put the world’s best athletes on the world’s best courses, and to get the best surfers in the best waves is a pretty tricky equation.
With live TV you can’t wait for a 14-day window. Surfing is the granddaddy of all boardsports and the brands are amazing. We want it to be involved, but it has to be involved in the right way.
What are you focusing on next?
We’re really happy with the way Winter and Summer X are developing. A priority of ours is international expansion. We currently have events in Sao Paulo, Brazil; Tignes, France; and Shanghai, China, and we are looking to expand that.
