On July 13-16, U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis hosted the X Games for the first year of a two-year hosting. The X Games are expected to bring 100,000 people to Minneapolis and the Mall of America over the weekend, which will give national and international media exposure; as well as the 8,300 hospitality and tourism jobs that the X Games will bring to the city.
18.5 hours of coverage aired on multiple platforms, including television in 210 countries and territories, with live coverage in Latin America, Middle East, New Zealand, UK, Ireland, Africa, Australia, Canada, Caribbean, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Japan, Spain, Sweden and France. Other coverage included the ESPN app, ESPN3, XGames.com, the X Games app, and X Games social media pages. Samsung VR service also broadcasted the X Games in virtual reality. On July 22, ABC will air 4 hours of anthology programming as a part of the World of X Games Series.
“After 18 months of planning and building excitement, we’re thrilled to finally welcome X Games athletes, staff and fans to Minneapolis,” says Melvin Tennant, president and CEO, Meet Minneapolis. “Working with the X Games team from ESPN could not have been a better experience, and we hope that the event’s success this week will encourage them to consider returning beyond 2018 to Minneapolis.”
