ASO Joins Forces with AEG in the German Market

A.S.O. joins forces with AEG in the German market

Strategic Partnership to grow cycling in Germany includes launch of a

new Deutschland Tour (Tour of Germany) in August 2018 and the

Eschborn-Frankfurt cycling classic.

(Berlin/Paris/Los Angeles May, 16, 2017) Amaury Sport Organisation (A.S.O.), and Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) have agreed on a strategic partnership around their common goal to develop cycling in Germany. As part of the partnership, AEG will work closely with A.S.O. on its cycling business in the German market, which includes the license to launch a new Deutschland Tour (Tour of Germany) in August 2018, which A.S.O. recently obtained from the German Cycling Federation, and the annual Eschborn-Frankfurt cycling classic, the 56^th edition of which took place, as part of the World Tour for the first time, on May 1, 2017. The joint announcement was made today by representatives of A.S.O. and AEG following the conclusion of Stage 2 of the Amgen Tour of California which is owned by AEG and organized in partnership with A.S.O.

As part of the comprehensive partnership between the global sports organizations, AEG will lead the sponsorship sales process for both the Eschborn-Frankfurt cycling classic and the Deutschland Tour (Tour of Germany), an innovative concept which is designed as a bike festival that bridges the gap between professional and everyday cycling.

Yann Le Moënner, Managing Director of A.S.O.: “Our strategic partnership with AEG underlines how committed we are to the German market. The Grand Départ 2017 in Düsseldorf, the just renewed partnership with ARD on broadcasting the Tour de France, the addition of the Eschborn-Frankfurt classic to the family of A.S.O. races and the new Deutschland Tour are all for themselves significant milestones to support the growth of cycling in Germany. We are excited to join forces with AEG, who will be a strong partner to achieve this vision”.

With this partnership, two leading companies in sports business and event organization are joining forces in Germany: A.S.O. as one of the leading global sports organizers with 270 days of competition in 20 countries and AEG as the world's leading sports and entertainment company who entertains more than 100 million people annually. While A.S.O.’s leadership ensures world-class cycling expertise and organizing power in non-stadium sports, AEG provides extensive expertise in marketing, entertainment, sales, hospitality and event presentation. It’s a continuation of a successful partnership which began at the Amgen Tour of California, North America’s most popular and prestigious cycling stage race which was founded in 2006. A.S.O. has been responsible for the TV production and distribution of the AEG-owned cycling race since 2009 and beginning in 2016, A.S.O. assumed management of race operations.

Steven A. Cohen, Chief Strategic Officer, AEG: “The German market has been core to AEG’s worldwide portfolio of sports, entertainment and real estate properties for more than a decade and today’s announcement further builds on our collection of assets in Germany. Partnering with A.S.O., the global leaders in cycling and numerous other major international competitions, will bring together two organizations with a shared vision and complementary assets and resources that will result in two outstanding and unique events for Germany and cycling fans globally.”

Preparations for the Deutschland Tour, under the marketing campaign “Deutschland. Deine Tour.”, are well underway: the fan participation on the collaborative platform deutschlanddeinetour.de produced an exceptional pool of ideas, the first “Tour Makers” have been announced and details of the route of the race’s first edition are becoming more concrete.

About Amaury Sport Organisation (A.S.O.)

Amaury Sport Organisation is a company that owns, designs and organizes top international sporting events. Specialized in the ‘non-stadia’ events, it has in-house knowledge of professions linked to organization, media and sales of sporting events. A.S.O. organizes 270 days of competition per year, with 100 events in more than 20 countries. A.S.O. is involved in 5 major sports including cycling with Le Tour de France, motor sports with Le Dakar, golf with the Lacoste Ladies Open de France, sailing with Le Tour de France à la Voile and mass events with the Schneider Electric Marathon de Paris. Amaury Sport Organisation is a subsidiary of the Amaury Group, media and sport group that owns the newspaper L'Equipe.

About AEG

Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, AEG is the world’s leading sports and live entertainment company. With offices on five continents, AEG operates in the following business segments: AEG Facilities, which is affiliated with or owns, manages or consults with more than 120 preeminent arenas, stadiums, theaters, clubs and convention centers around the world including The O2 Arena, the Sprint Center as well as the Mercedes-Benz Arena Berlin and the Barclaycard Arena in Hamburg; AEG Presents, which is dedicated to all aspects of live contemporary music performances, including producing and promoting global and regional concert tours, music and special events and world-renowned festivals; AEG Real Estate, which develops world-class venues, as well as major sports and entertainment districts like STAPLES Center and L.A. LIVE and currently the Mercedes Platz in Berlin set to open in 2018; AEG Sports, which is the world’s largest operator of sports franchises, including the Eisbären Berlin hockey team, and high-profile sporting events such as the Amgen Tour of California; and AEG Global Partnerships, which oversees worldwide sales and servicing of sponsorships including naming rights, premium seating and other strategic partnerships. Through its worldwide network of venues, portfolio of powerful sports and music brands, AXS.com ticketing platform, AXS cable television channel and its integrated entertainment districts, AEG entertains more than 100 million guests annually. More information about AEG can be found at www.aegworldwide.com.

Contacts:

For A.S.O.: Marion Gachies - 06.07.02.42.17 / [email protected]