Cycling audiences in the UK and Ireland continue to grow across Warner Bros. Discovery platforms with overall coverage in 2023 delivering double-digit increases across its direct-to-consumer and linear platforms.
Viewership across Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) UK streaming services saw a combined 13% rise in Unique Video Viewers (UVV) with discovery+ the main driver, securing a +159% increase across the season. All three Grand Tours achieved year-on-year user increases with the Tour de France (+22%) and La Vuelta (+27%) the main contributors to the triple digit rise.
This was also reflected across Eurosport’s television audiences, with the Tour de France driving the best average viewership since the 2016 edition, whilst La Vuelta saw its strongest audiences since 2017*. Overall across the season, live audiences on Eurosport 1 delivered a +31% rise in average viewership compared to 2022.
Eurosport’s digital services also delivered significant growth throughout the season. Web engagement on Eurosport.co.uk, which delivers season-long cycling news and stories, recorded a +46% season uplift in page views vs 2022. The Grand Tour races were central to this success generating sizable year-on-year increases in user interaction for race content, including Giro d’Italia (+78%) Tour de France (+30%) La Vuelta a Espana (+8%).
Further to this, overall across Europe, WBD has grown total engagement in its coverage of women’s cycling by a quarter (+25%) year-on-year and its platforms remain the only place to watch every race on the Women’s World Tour.
The historic men’s Grand Tour season saw Jumbo-Visma become the first World Tour team to win all three major races in a calendar year with Primoz Roglic (Giro d’Italia), Jonas Vingegaard (Tour de France) and Sepp Kuss (La Vuelta a España) winning the famous pink, yellow and red jerseys respectively. The retiring Annemiek van Vleuten won both the Giro Donne and La Vuelta Femenina in 2023 for Movistar Team with SD Worx’s Demi Vollering claiming the second ever edition of the Tour de France Femmes.
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Jonas Vingegaard, Sepp Kuss and Primoz Roglic pose on the podium after the 78th Vuelta a Espana 2023, Stage 21 a 101.5km stage from Hipódromo de la Zarzuela to Madrid. Paisaje de la Luz / #UCIWT / on September 17, 2023 in Madrid, Spain
Image credit: Getty Images
Jamie Steward, Senior Director, Production and Broadcast WBD Sports UK said:
“Our cycling coverage continues to go from strength to strength, and it’s extremely encouraging to see this reflected in audience figures consistently throughout the entirety of the season across all viewing platforms and digital services.
“We adopt a fan-first approach and we’re delighted to see our coverage continue to engage fans and deliver a viewing experience of the highest calibre through unrivalled production innovations, a best-in-class presentation team and additional programming to further bring the races to life. We are constantly striving to elevate our coverage to the next level. This goes beyond cycling, and will very much be the ethos across all sport as we look ahead to the Paris 2024 Olympics.”
WBD showcases more live cycling in all its forms than any other broadcaster across Eurosport, discovery+ and GCN+, including 300 days of live racing per year, over 630 hours of live coverage, and broadcasting 100% of the UCI Women’s World Tour.
In 2023, WBD’s comprehensive road cycling coverage was further elevated by studio analysis shows across Europe which told the stories of local heroes competing. Led by some of the most recognisable and knowledgeable cycling experts including Robbie McEwen, Adam Blythe, Dan Lloyd and Orla Chennaoui. New storytelling tools harnessed the latest innovations in graphics such as an augmented reality team bus to provide ground-breaking race analysis for viewers. This was coupled with on-site coverage featuring some of the biggest names in the sport such as Alberto Contador and Philippe Gilbert, who followed the peloton live on motorbikes, bringing viewers even closer to the action.
October is set to be a bumper month for cycling fans with even more live action featuring the world’s best riders set to showcase the very best of the sport. WBD continues to provide live and on-demand coverage of the UCI Mountain Bike World Series, with two races of the 2023 season remaining before its thrilling conclusion on 8 October. Every race from the 2023-2024 UCI Cyclo-Cross World Cup will also be available to watch on Eurosport, discovery+ and GCN+ as the new season gets underway from 15 October.
Returning for its third season, the UCI Track Champions League will get underway on 21 October with all five rounds of the most demanding and high-intensity men’s and women’s track cycling competition screened live and on-demand across WBD’s channels and platforms globally.
Warner Bros. Discovery’s upcoming autumn of live cycling:
- 7 October – UCI BMX World Cup Round 7
- 8 October – UCI BMX World Cup Round 8
- 13 October – UCI BMX World Cup Round 9
- 14 October – UCI BMX World Cup Round 10
- 15 October – UCI Cyclo-Cross World Cup Round 1
- 21 October – UCI Track Champions League Round 1 (Mallorca, Spain)
- 28 October – 21 October – UCI Track Champions League Round 2 (Berlin, Germany)
- 29 October – UCI Cyclo-Cross World Cup Round 2
- 4 November – UCI Track Champions League Round 3 (Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France)
- 10 November – UCI Track Champions League Round 4 (London, UK)
