EUROSPORT SECURES EXCLUSIVE WORLDWIDE RIGHTS FOR INAUGURAL SIX DAY CYCLING SERIES

The Six Day Series is owned and operated by Madison Sports Group and will feature some of the world’s best professional riders, including Mark Cavendish & Sir Bradley Wiggins, Belgians Kenny de Ketele and Moreno de Pauw and French duo Morgan Kneisky and Benjamin Thomas in a new innovative format, all set within a unique party like atmosphere with great music and entertainment forming the backdrop to the drama on the track. 

The first event will take place at the Lee Valley VeloPark, home of track cycling during London 2012, and will begin on 25th October. Other events in the series include Amsterdam, Berlin and Copenhagen, with a final night taking place in Palma, Mallorca.

Peter Hutton, CEO of Eurosport, said: “The Six Days Racing series has undoubtedly found its natural home at Eurosport, where we fuel the passion of fans all year round with an unrivalled calendar of world-class cycling.

“We are always looking at how we can innovate in the sport, be it using augmented reality to explain the intricacies of cycling or creating the first ever 360° VR film shot during a competitive cycling race.  Given this commitment to find new ways to bring fans even closer to their sport, we are particularly excited to partner with Six Day Racing and support their ambition to transform track cycling.”

Mark Darbon, Madison Sports Group CEO, said: “The Six Day Series is bringing a discipline with a fantastic history right up to date and having a quality live broadcast partner is vital. Eurosport knows cycling inside out and is absolutely the right partner to be working with as we launch the first ever Six Day Series. We’ve given Six Day racing a makeover to make it more compelling, more exciting and more accessible for spectators – whether they’re in the venue or watching at home. We cannot wait to get started.”

Eurosport is the undisputed Home of Cycling, presenting all three Grand Tours, including the Tour de France, and all five Monuments.  The latest example of the innovation Eurosport brings to cycling came last month, launching the first ever 360° VR film shot during a competitive cycling race.  The footage was captured during La Vuelta and was shared with fans via the Eurosport VR App. 

Held over six consecutive nights, Six Day sees teams of two riders compete in multiple races across a variety of sprint and endurance disciplines in a bid to be crowned champions. The cornerstone of the event is the Madison race where the riders sling each other in and out of the action, creating compelling and highly tactical racing.

Alongside the elite men, there is an elite women’s omnium competition set to run across the series with men and women riders battling it out to qualify for a one-off, one night spectacular final in Mallorca on 17 March 2017.

The partnership with the Six Day Series will see pioneering production initiatives to bring fans closer to the action, including on-bike cameras, real-time speed, heart rate and cadence data from riders.  For the first time in track cycling, location tracking will be integrated for each rider to help follow the race more closely than ever before.

The series will be broadcast across Eurosport channels and platforms, including the Eurosport Player, the Eurosport subscription service that gives fans the chance to enjoy exclusive content LIVE and on demand.

The full calendar for the 2016/17 Six Day Series is:

· London: 25 – 30 October 2016

· Amsterdam: 6 – 11 December 2016

· Berlin: 19 – 24 January 2017

· Copenhagen: 26 – 31 January 2017

· Mallorca (The Final): 17 March 2017

 More information about the Six Day Series can be found here.

ENDS.

*Non-exclusive in the UK