IMMERSIVE UCI TRACK CHAMPIONS LEAGUE COVERAGE SET TO KICKSTART ATHLETES’ OLYMPIC JOURNEYS

Immersive and customisable streaming experiences on discovery+*, the Eurosport App and GCN+ will define coverage of the most demanding test in track cycling as the UCI Track Champions League returns for its third season this weekend.

Fans will be able to be the directors of their own experience and choose their selection of live feeds throughout each race with 20 cameras including Spidercams, five on-board rider cameras, two behind-the-scenes and trackside cameras taking viewers to place they couldn’t ordinarily access.

In partnership with AWS, live and historical biometric data will also be served to fans via on-screen graphics and within the UCI Track Champions League app to showcase the intense physical output riders produce including stats on speed, watts, cadence and heart rate.

Viewers enjoying coverage on discovery+ will also have the chance to harness the new timeline marker feature to easily skip back to unmissable moments throughout the night.

An English language programme titled Inside Track will be presented by Kate Mason and will feature the insights of UCI Track Champions League ambassadors Sir Chris Hoy, six-time Olympic champion, and Kristina Vogel, double Olympic medallist, alongside former professional cyclist Adam Blythe and five-time World Champion Pauline Grabosch who will all explain the action as it unfolds while interviewing the riders live from the velodromes. WBD’s World Feed commentators will include double Olympic champion Joanna Rowsell who will cover the action from each venue alongside Rob Hatch. Three-time Olympic champion Ed Clancy will be provide his expertise during round three in France.

Every pedal stroke, lap and twist in the tale from all 150 races produced by Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) will be covered on its channels and platforms globally, including in 19 languages across Europe comprising 14 live hours. Alongside live television coverage on Eurosport, WBD will also offer free-to-air highlights in Denmark (6’eren), Sweden (Kanal 9), Norway (Max) and Finland (Kutonen) as well as via Eurosport.com. Sublicense agreements will also bring fans live free-to-air coverage in Australia, Italy, Japan, Latin America, MENA, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, Switzerland, and Greece to expand the reach of the series to the widest audience.

A 45-minute highlights show including additional data and behind-the-scenes footage will be produced for fans, airing each Monday.

Scott Young, SVP Content and Production at Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe, said: “When we undertook this project to revolutionise track cycling three years ago, our ambition was to create the most engaging, energising and exciting format to bring the sport to new audiences between Olympic cycles while shining a light on the athletes competing. The continued growth of the UCI Track Champions League is testament to the success of the format, the show our Events team has produced in partnership with the UCI, and the immersive on-screen and in-stadium experience we have created to form an unmissable moment in the track cycling calendar.“

"This year’s competition will be the last season before the Summer Olympic Games in 2024, which provides the perfect platform for the world’s best riders to launch their journey to Paris 2024. The calibre of athletes is unparalleled and coupled with our in-race broadcast and storytelling innovations, I’m confident that fans of track cycling will enjoy an even bigger and better season than ever.”

Intense individual battles will set to the tone as Olympic hopefuls battle for supremacy throughout the five-round competition which takes place over four back-to-back weekends, beginning in Mallorca on Saturday 21 November. Sprint and Endurance trophies are up for grabs for 72 of the world’s best male and female riders taking part. In total, the pool of riders this year is the most accomplished yet with 36 UCI Track World titles and 14 Olympic medals between them.

The second edition of the UCI track Champions League in 2022 built on its impressive first season by securing millions of viewers worldwide as well as selling 18,000 tickets for events in Spain, Germany, France and the UK. Following 150 races across the entire competition, Claudio Imhof (Switzerland), Jennifer Valente (United States), Matthew Richardson (Australia) and Mathilde Gros (France) were crowned champions.

Warner Bros. Discovery is recognised as the ‘home of cycling’ with the widest range of live cycling on offer anywhere across road, mountain bike, track, cyclocross and BMX covering more than 300 days of live racing per year. Its commitment to cycling content sees it tell the stories of riders year-round including through Eurosport’s The Cycling Show which features exclusive interviews with the world’s best riders alongside the biggest happenings from the sport.

The 2023 UCI Track Champions League calendar features:·      

• Round 1: Mallorca, Spain - 21 October       
• Round 2: Berlin, Germany - 28 October 
• Round 3: Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines - 4 November       
• Round 4: London, UK - 10 November
• Grand Finale: London, UK - 11 November

Fans can learn more about the series and how to buy tickets to watch at https://www.ucitrackchampionsleague.com/ 

*The UCI Track Champions will be on discovery+ in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Ireland.