UFA Sports will act as a marketing service partner, while the rights themselves remain with KHL.

In next to no time, the KHL has become the largest ice hockey league in Europe and Asia and is now second only to the National Hockey League (NHL) in North America. It was created in time for the 2008/09 season and is an international league stretching across Eurasia, comprising teams from Russia, Belarus, Latvia and Kazakhstan. From September to April, a total of 24 teams battle it out for the Gagarin Cup, which is named after the famous cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. The league’s strategic partner is the energy company Gazprom.

Robert Müller von Vultejus, Managing Director of UFA Sports, explains: “With this marketing partnership, we have opened up opportunities in the ice hockey market, adding to our successes in the worlds of football, handball, basketball and boxing. The KHL is Europe’s fastest-growing ice hockey league, and we want to play our part in allowing the league to continue on its growth course.”

“Our contract with UFA Sports is another milestone in the development of the KHL as a modern organisation focusing on national and international markets,” confirms Ilya Kochevrin, General Director of KHL Marketing LLC. “UFA Sports will henceforth provide us with professional assistance for challenges such as strengthening the KHL brand in western Europe, marketing TV rights outside of Russia, and working closely with international media.”