MSG Action Sports and ASA Entertainment to Produce "Air in the Square" on June 16 in Times Square
MSG Action Sports Announces Broadcast Partnership With Quiksilver for "The Quiksilver Pro New York" in September, 2011
NEW YORK, June 16, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Madison Square Garden Company announced today that it is launching MSG Action Sports, a division of MSG Sports that will produce a variety of action sports and lifestyle events, properties and television programming. The first event – Air in the Square – will be a MegaRamp® ASA Triples BMX and skateboarding competition in Times Square in New York City on Thursday, June 16 from 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m., which will be televised nationally on Fox Sports Net. The first ever major free and open to the public skate and BMX event in Times Square will be produced by MSG Action Sports in partnership with ASA Entertainment, a leading producer of action sports events and television programming in the U.S. MSG Action Sports also announced plans to partner with Quiksilver to make MSG Networks and national music network Fuse the official broadcast partners of The Quiksilver Pro New York in September, 2011 in Long Beach, New York.
"As we continue to look for additional ways to grow our business, expanding the MSG Sports division outside of our venues has been a key focus. The MSG Action Sports group provides a tremendous opportunity for us to collaborate across our divisions and utilize the depth and marketing expertise of MSG Sports, MSG Entertainment and MSG Media to develop world class events and television programming for the millions of action sports and music enthusiasts across the country," said Hank Ratner, president and CEO, The Madison Square Garden Company. "Air in the Square and our partnership with Quiksilver are just the beginning of MSG Action Sports. We are currently exploring additional opportunities for future events in New York and beyond."
Added Scott O'Neil, president, MSG Sports: "With the one-of-a-kind 195-foot long MegaRamp® ASA Triples showcasing incredible BMX and skateboarding pros flying high against the iconic backdrop of Times Square, Air in the Square is a very New York way to launch MSG Action Sports. We are proud to partner with one of the most prolific action sports event companies in the world, ASA Entertainment, and are looking forward to a long and successful event filled future together."
"We are thrilled about bringing the MegaRamp® ASA Triples to Times Square to help launch the action sports partnership between ASA Entertainment and MSG," said Rick Bratman, CEO, ASA Entertainment. "I can't think of a better way to announce this exciting new venture than by watching the world's top skate and BMX pros perform mind-boggling tricks on this massive ramp structure in the heart of New York City."
MSG Action Sports has also entered into an agreement with Quiksilver to be the official broadcast media partner for The Quiksilver Pro New York, the first ASP World Tour Pro Surf Competition on the East Coast, featuring the world's top professional surfers competing for an unprecedented $1 million prize purse. MSG Networks and national music network Fuse will serve as the official broadcast partners for the event, set for September 1 – 15 in Long Beach, New York. Additional action sports demos, music, fashion and cultural events will round out two weeks of competition. MSG Networks will telecast live and live-to-tape surfing action, including the quarter-final, semi-final and final rounds of the competition. Additional programming from the festival will air daily on both MSG Networks and Fuse during the competition window, and will also include live and live-to-tape daily segments showcasing the surf competition, BMX, skate and Motocross athletes and exhibitions, as well as contest highlights, athlete interviews, action sports exhibitions, daily concerts and cultural events.
"Madison Square Garden Company is a world-class entertainment organization and we are confident that they are the perfect broadcast partner for The Quiksilver Pro New York," said Bob McKnight, CEO of Quiksilver. "The newly launched MSG Action Sports group will elevate awareness for our industry's athletes and events in New York City and throughout the U.S., and their understanding of sports, music and television production will be a great asset to promoting our sports and lifestyle."
Added Michael Bair, president, MSG Media: "Fuse's young, active demographic is the perfect audience for The Quiksilver Pro New York, and its broad national distribution will further expand the scale of this unique event. Locally, MSG Media will add marketing muscle to enhance the event's standing in the New York area. The entire effort is a perfect example of how The Madison Square Garden Company can combine assets like no one else."
Air in the Square will feature 20 of the world's best BMX and skateboarding pros in a unique head-to-head bracket-style competition showcasing their versatility and innovation on the one-of-a-kind 195-foot long MegaRamp® ASA Triples course that features a 25' high roll-in ramp, two 25' wide jumps and a course-ending 14' high quarter pipe. Participating pros for BMX include Ryan Nyquist, Daniel Dhers, Mike Spinner, Brett Banasiewicz, Steve McCann, Zack Warden, Austin Coleman, Pat Casey, Vince Byron, James Foster and Colton Satterfield. Skateboarding participants include Bob Burnquist, Pierre-Luc Gagnon, Andy Macdonald, Lincoln Ueda, Adam Taylor, Elliott Sloan, Mitchie Brusco, Jett Eaton and Jagger Eaton.
MSG Action Sports and ASA Entertainment will also produce a one-hour television show on Air in the Square that will premiere on Fox Sports Net on Friday, July 22 at 5:00 p.m. ET. The participating pros will serve as narrators of the docu-drama style show, telling the behind the scenes stories of the event in their own words, and providing viewers unique insight into their personalities, part of what makes action sports so compelling to watch. The show will also feature dozens of head-to-head BMX and skateboarding battles between the world's best pros that are part of the competition at Air in the Square.
Showing support for action sports in New York, Air in the Square has a strong list of marketing partners. Official partners include Quiksilver, J.P. Morgan Chase, vitaminwater, Infinity by Harman, Stride Gum, Harris Technology, and Oakley; official hotel for the event is the Eventi Hotel and hospitality partner is The Ainsworth. All partners will have on-site branding and activation at Air in the Square, VIP hospitality, as well as integration into the digital signage surrounding the event space in Times Square.
Fans can visit www.airinthesquare.com and www.facebook.com/AirInTheSquare for more information about Air in the Square and to check out photos and video after the event. For more information on The Quiksilver Pro New York please visit www.quiksilver.com.
About The Madison Square Garden Company
The Madison Square Garden Company is a fully-integrated sports, media and entertainment business. The company is comprised of three business segments: MSG Sports, MSG Media and MSG Entertainment, which are strategically aligned to work together to drive the company's overall business, which is built on a foundation of iconic venues and compelling content that the company creates, produces, presents and/or distributes through its programming networks and other media assets. MSG Sports consists of owning and operating sports franchises, including the New York Knicks (NBA), the New York Rangers (NHL), the New York Liberty (WNBA), and the Connecticut Whale (AHL). MSG Sports also features other sports properties, including the presentation of a wide variety of live sporting events including professional boxing, college basketball, track and field and tennis. MSG Media is a leader in production and content development for multiple distribution platforms, including content originating from MSG's venues. MSG Media consists of the MSG Networks (MSG, MSG Plus, MSG HD and MSG Plus HD) regional sports networks and the Fuse Networks (Fuse and Fuse HD), a national television network dedicated to music. MSG Entertainment is one of the country's leaders in live entertainment. MSG Entertainment creates, produces and/or presents a variety of live productions, including the Radio City Christmas Spectacular featuring the Radio City Rockettes. MSG Entertainment also presents or hosts other live entertainment events such as concerts, family shows and special events in MSG's diverse collection of venues. These venues include Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, the Theater at Madison Square Garden, the Beacon Theatre, the Chicago Theatre and the Wang Theatre. More information is available at www.themadisonsquaregardencompany.com.
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About ASA Entertainment
Founded in 1994, ASA Entertainment Group, LLC is an action sports event, television and content production agency focused on creating and executing customized, turn-key marketing programs that range in scale from grassroots to global. ASA's events, featuring skateboarding, BMX, inline skating, freestyle motocross, snowboarding, surfing and music, are broadcast domestically on eight networks (including CBS and Fox Sports Net), and distributed to more than 700 million HH globally via 30 international broadcast partners. ASA's productions span the spectrum from large, international competitions such as the Action Sports World Championships, ASA Action Sports World Tour, the World Championships of Freestyle Motocross, The Supergirl Jam Series and the MegaRamp ASA Triples to amateur contests, lifestyle and branded entertainment events, demonstrations, exhibitions, school programs and mobile tours. After 17 years as a leader in action sports, ASA Entertainment regularly connects brands to consumers through its platform of premium action sports and lifestyle content. For more information, visit ASAentertainment.com or ActionSportsTour.com.
About Quiksilver
Quiksilver, Inc. (NYSE:ZQK) is the world's leading outdoor sports lifestyle company, which designs, produces and distributes a diversified mix of branded apparel, footwear, accessories, snowboards and related products. The company's apparel and footwear brands represent a casual lifestyle for young-minded people that connect with its board riding culture and heritage. The reputation of Quiksilver's brands is based on outdoor action sports. The company's Quiksilver, Roxy, DC, Lib Tech, and Hawk brands are synonymous with the heritage and culture of surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding. The company's products are sold in over 90 countries in a wide range of distribution, including surf shops, skate shops, snow shops, its proprietary Boardriders Club shops and other company-owned retail stores, other specialty stores and select department stores. Quiksilver's corporate and Americas' headquarters are in Huntington Beach, California, while its European headquarters are in St. Jean de Luz, France, and its Asia/ Pacific headquarters are in Torquay, Australia.