• Additional live rights to premium UCI events come to the Home of Cycling
  • Multiple UCI events to be broadcast on Eurosport in 2021 including UCI Road World Championship and UCI Track Cycling World Championship
  • Andrew Georgiou: The new agreement with UCI through EBU is testament to our commitment serving the world's largest community of cycling fans

Eurosport continues to cement its place as the go-to destination for millions of cycling fans across all disciplines in Europe in 2021 after securing a raft of rights to world-class Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) events* from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).

The agreement incorporates some of the UCI's blue-chip events including the UCI Road World Championship, UCI Track Cycling World Championship, UCI Mountain Biking World Championship, BMX World Championship, Urban Cycling World Championship, Cyclo-Cross World Championship** as well as the conclusion of the Cyclo-Cross World Cup** season with exclusive coverage in over 35 markets and territories across Europe***.

In 2021, Eurosport will also screen over 290 days of live men's and women's cycling as well as un-matched coverage of the sport's most prestigious races including every Grand Tour, all five Monuments and over 35 UCI World Tour events screened across Eurosport, Global Cycling Network and Eurosport's offering on discovery+ in markets where it has been introduced****. In addition, Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 will see the world's elite cyclists compete for 22 medals across track and road cycling events over 16 days of top-class competition with every minute live and available to watch only on Discovery's platforms.

Andrew Georgiou, President, Eurosport and Global Sports Rights & Sports Marketing Solutions, said: 'The new UCI agreement secured through EBU is testament to our commitment serving the world's largest community of cycling fans whether it be through Eurosport or GCN and strengthens Discovery's ties with the UCI. Discovery is already working closely with the UCI on several initiatives, with Eurosport Events set to be a key partner in delivering the new UCI Track Cycling Champions League competition, due to kick off later this year.

'2021 will be a year to remember for cycling fans and we're delighted to be able to follow the journeys of the world's best cyclists year-round across multiple disciplines as they prepare themselves to compete at the Olympic Games. Our heritage in cycling is second to none and whether it be on Eurosport, discovery+ or on GCN for the most passionate cycling fans, Discovery will ensure the broadest audience enjoys a fully immersive experience of hundreds of events, meaning every story will be covered throughout the year.'

UCI President David Lappartient said: 'Cycling has seen a sharp increase in audiences in 2020, whether it be the Tour de France or the UCI Road World Championships in Imola, Italy, and across the various disciplines for which races have been able to take place in the current health context. 2021, with the Tokyo Olympic Games in particular, promises to be an exciting year and cycling should once again establish itself as a major sport for fans and television viewers. The partnership with Eurosport, which will result in even more cycling competitions in Europe in 2021, is expected to increase the popularity of cycling at major UCI competitions and during the Olympic Games. We look forward to this new cooperation with Eurosport, a major partner, particularly in the redesign of track cycling and the future series, the UCI Track Champions League, which will be inaugurated at the end of the year.'

This year is already shaping up to be a must-watch year for fans of all cycling disciplines across Europe. It brings even more of the world's greatest sport to Eurosport's offer on discovery+****, the new streaming home of Eurosport's premium unrivalled, premium and locally-relevant multi-sport offering.

Key dates for the diary:

  • Ends January - UCI Cyclo-Cross World Cup
  • 30-31 January - UCI Cyclo-Cross World Championship, Oostende, Belgium
  • 17-22 August - UCI BMX World Championship, Arnhem, Netherlands
  • 25-28 August - UCI Mountain Bike World Championships, Val di Sole, Italy
  • 18-26 September - UCI Road World Championship, Flanders, Belgium
  • 13-17 October - UCI Track Cycling World Championship, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan
  • TBC - UCI Urban Cycling World Championship

-ENDS-

*Agreement covers Europe except France, Denmark, Norway and Sweden

**No Cyclo-cross rights in Belgium in 2021
*** Total exclusivity across Europe except Albania, Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, UK
**** Global rollout of discovery+ in Europe begins in 2021 with the U.K. and Ireland, the Nordics, Italy and the Netherlands; distribution partners include Sky in the U.K. and Ireland and TIM in Italy

About Eurosport
Eurosport is the number one sport destination in Europe, fuelling the passion of fans and connecting them with the greatest sports events in the world. As the Home of the Olympic Games in Europe, Eurosport delivered the ultimate Games experience for PyeongChang 2018 reaching both record linear and digital viewership across localized Eurosport services. Firmly established as the Home of Cycling, Grand Slam Tennis and Winter Sport, Eurosport channels - Eurosport 1, Eurosport 2 - reach 246 million cumulative subscribers across 75 countries in Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa and the Middle East. Eurosport.com is Europe's No 1 online sports news website with an average of 30 million unique users per month. Eurosport Events specializes in the management and promotion of international sporting events. More information is available by visiting corporate.eurosport.com.

About Discovery
Discovery, Inc. (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is a global leader in real life entertainment, serving a passionate audience of superfans around the world with content that inspires, informs and entertains. Discovery delivers over 8,000 hours of original programming each year and has category leadership across deeply loved content genres around the world. Available in 220 countries and territories and nearly 50 languages, Discovery is a platform innovator, reaching viewers on all screens, including TV Everywhere products such as the GO portfolio of apps; direct-to-consumer streaming services such as Eurosport Player and MotorTrend OnDemand; digital-first and social content from Group Nine Media; a landmark natural history and factual content partnership with the BBC; and a strategic alliance with PGA TOUR to create the international home of golf. Discovery's portfolio of premium brands includes Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Travel Channel, MotorTrend, Animal Planet, and Science Channel, as well as OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network in the U.S., Discovery Kids in Latin America, and Eurosport, the leading provider of locally relevant, premium sports and Home of the Olympic Games across Europe. For more information, please visit corporate.discovery.com and follow @DiscoveryIncTV across social platforms.

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Discovery Inc. published this content on 20 January 2021 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 20 January 2021 16:29:02 UTC