EUROSPORT SECURES EXCLUSIVE UCI WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS DEAL

The agreement, which runs from 2017 until 2020, will see Eurosport broadcast every major UCI event exclusively in 36 countries and territories in Europe across all disciplines, including the UCI Road World Championships, UCI Track Cycling World Championships and the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships.

Along with its unrivalled coverage of every Grand Tour – the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and the Vuelta a España - Eurosport remains the go-to destination for cycling fans across Europe with over 200 days of live cycling and 2,500 hours of coverage across its channels.

Eurosport’s coverage of UCI events starts on the weekend of 17 September when Slovakian Peter Sagan looks to defend the Rainbow Jersey at the Road World Championships in Bergen, Norway.

Eurosport CEO Peter Hutton said: “We’re thrilled to be able to bring even more world-class cycling action to millions of passionate fans on Eurosport. Eurosport remains the place to be to watch their heroes in action – whether it be on TV, streaming or on-demand via the Eurosport Player.

“After a four-year absence from Eurosport screens, we are delighted to have reached an agreement with the UCI for the next four-year cycle. Along with our enhanced production of events such as the Tour de France, we can continue to claim the mantle of the Home of Cycling.”

Stefan Kuerten, EBU Director of Sports, said: “We are delighted to have helped return the UCI Championships to Eurosport, alongside our EBU Members. Thanks to the extensive coverage provided by Europe’s public service broadcasters and Eurosport, viewers throughout the continent will have more access than ever before to these world-class events.”

2017 has been a bumper year for cycling with Eurosport showing every minute of the Tour de France for the first time. Coverage of the Tour de France reported an average audience increase of 10% versus last year while the Vuelta a España has seen an average of 1.3million viewers tune in daily throughout the duration of the three-week race, representing a 46% rise in comparison to 2016.

ENDS.

Notes to Editors

Agreement includes the following events (dates of 2017-18 events):

UCI Road World Championships (17-24 September 2017)

UCI Cyclo-Cross World Cup - with the exclusion of Belgium when the event take place in Belgium (10 events between September 2017 - February 2018)

UCI Urban Cycling World Championships (8-12 November 2017)

UCI Track Cycling World Cup (4-5 November, 10-12 November, 2-3 December, 9-10 December 2017)

UCI Cyclo-Cross World Championships (3-4 February 2018)

UCI Track Cycling World Championships (28 February – 4 March 2018)

UCI BMX World Championships (21-27 May 2018)

UCI Mountain Bike World Championships (September 2018)

Eurosport owns the rights for all UCI events across Europe from 2017-2020 except France and all Nordic countries (Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and Finland). Eurosport’s coverage of UCI events will be non-exclusive in the following markets; Albania, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and UK.