General News Thread

[RedheadDane]

I believe some people use the Discovery+ and the Max to watch cycling.

But NBA is rather irrelevant for that.

 

[Rob5091]

But NBA is rather irrelevant for that.

Well the NBA deal might well be one of a few reasons that in the near future you might not be watching cycling on the Discovery+ or the Max.

 

[RedheadDane]

Well the NBA deal might well be one of a few reasons that in the near future you might not be watching cycling on the Discovery+ or the Max.

Nothing would prevent them from showing both at the same time.
Also, I have a feeling a small local league like the NBA is only relevant for US viewers.

 

[tobydawq]

Nothing would prevent them from showing both at the same time.
Also, I have a feeling a small local league like the NBA is only relevant for US viewers.

Lol.

 

[RedheadDane]

Lol.

Is the National Baseball - or is it Basketball? - Association really that relevant outside the US?

The first claim is definitely true.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Is the National Baseball - or is it Basketball? - Association really that relevant outside the US?

The first claim is definitely true.

It's like saying the Tour de France is only being watched by French people.

 

[tobydawq]

Is the National Baseball - or is it Basketball? - Association really that relevant outside the US?

The first claim is definitely true.

You have clearly no idea.

And yes, it's basketball.

 

[RedheadDane]

You have clearly no idea.

And yes, it's basketball.

Well, I sure hope they aren't going to *** over customers for that BS.
Especially since - as already mentioned - there's nothing stopping them from showing both.

 

[Tim Cahill]

Losing the NBA rights is a big hit and by the sounds of it, more mergers or takeovers are in the offering.
https://www.reuters.com/business/me...isses-quarterly-revenue-estimates-2024-08-07/

Dangerous waters for cycling coverage to be honest, I remember when they stuffed up the Turner merger in the 90s and it led to the wrestling getting cancelled. It was on every Friday after 'It's a knockout', then all of a sudden to my horror I'm sat there in confusion watching Fort Boyard instead of Booker T and the lads.

 

[Rob5091]

Well, I sure hope they aren't going to *** over customers for that BS.
Especially since - as already mentioned - there's nothing stopping them from showing both.

The main point of the post was the fact Warner Bros Discovery (thepeople who own discovery+ and Max) have lost the TV rights to show basketball which means a big fall in ads revenue etc and together with an enormous pile of debt and other parts of the company losing money at great speed, things obviously need to be changed. Streaming sports has been the only profitable bit this year, but even so they lost $100 million in the last 3 months.
Normaly bits of the company that can be sold off will be sold, which might well include Max & Discovery+

 

[Izzyeviel]

Interesting tidbit from the Wiggo story on the front page.

“And when I started with Team Sky, as most cyclists, I was self-employed with an image rights company. Towards the end of my tenure with Team Sky, they were involved in a two-year case with HMRC for everyone who worked at Sky to fight whether they were deemed employed by Sky.

Could anyone expand on this bit or explain it further to us simpletons? Are most cyclists really self-employed? I know with WWE, they're independent contractors.

 

[Sciatic]

Interesting tidbit from the Wiggo story on the front page.


Could anyone expand on this bit or explain it further to us simpletons? Are most cyclists really self-employed? I know with WWE, they're independent contractors.

You mean like they’re all registered as a private business as an LLC, LTD, or whatever acronym applies in other countries? Could be, but I’m surprised we’ve never heard more about that?

 

[Rob5091]

You mean like they’re all registered as a private business as an LLC, LTD, or whatever acronym applies in other countries? Could be, but I’m surprised we’ve never heard more about that?

https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/how-much-money-do-professional-cyclists-make/
Professional cyclists can choose whether to be self-employed independent contractors, or full-blown employees of a team, effectively choosing between more money in the pocket (self-employed) versus other benefits, like insurance and holidays (employee). In 2021, there’s a minimum salary for male WorldTeam riders of €40,045 (employed) or €65,673 (self-employed).

Professional cycling has a somewhat complicated structure, with several different tiers that in turn inform the minimum wages that riders are entitled to.

 

[Sciatic]

https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/how-much-money-do-professional-cyclists-make/
Professional cyclists can choose whether to be self-employed independent contractors, or full-blown employees of a team, effectively choosing between more money in the pocket (self-employed) versus other benefits, like insurance and holidays (employee). In 2021, there’s a minimum salary for male WorldTeam riders of €40,045 (employed) or €65,673 (self-employed).

Professional cycling has a somewhat complicated structure, with several different tiers that in turn inform the minimum wages that riders are entitled to.

Thanks, that’s interesting

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Interesting tidbit from the Wiggo story on the front page.


Could anyone expand on this bit or explain it further to us simpletons? Are most cyclists really self-employed? I know with WWE, they're independent contractors.

There is only one reason why this model exist. Tax avoidance. That kind of scheme benefits both parties.

 

[Rob5091]

Thanks, that’s interesting

There was a whole lot about the French riders having to pay French taxes even though they lived in Monaco over at the Inner ring blog. As was mentioned in the post, there's a bunch of UCI regulations on minimum wages for riders.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Mads Pedersen moved to Switzerland, (partially) because the Danish tax authorities wouldn't recognise him as being self-employed.

 

[joe_papp]

Anyone planning on following Tour of Poland and have any favorites for overall and today's first stage?

 

[RedheadDane]

Anyone planning on following Tour of Poland and have any favorites for overall and today's first stage?

Eeh... due to some miracle (Danish TV paying some money I'd guess) it's actually gonna be shown live in Denmark.
However, I think they finish quite early, so I might not get home from work before they're done, and I'm definitely gonna prioritise the Tour anyway.
As for favourites: Who knows?

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Anyone planning on following Tour of Poland and have any favorites for overall and today's first stage?

And I think that establishes a new record for the smallest amount of pre-race interest for a WT event ever.

 

[yaco]

It also shows a misplacement in the race calendar. There should never be a WT race which overlaps with a GT. Actually, Poland has a good field, especially on the sprint side.

 

[Rob5091]

Poland thread now at https://forum.cyclingnews.com/threa...ogne-august-12-to-18-2024.39870/#post-3075909

 

[search]

Some teams apparently consider not to take part in the 2025 Kigali World Championships - or send a reduced contingent only - due to astronomical hotel prices. In total, the travel costs are approximately double as high as for Australia 2022.

Kigali 2025 - National Federations consider participation at Rwanda Worlds due to sky-high costs

'If no affordable solution is found, I fear that we will have to make decisions' says Belgian Cycling General Director

globalpeloton.substack.com

 

[Izzyeviel]

A cycling race has been shortened and rerouted due to Wales' 20mph default speed limit, organisers have said.

Three of the five stages of the Junior Tour of Wales, which starts on Friday, have been changed as support vehicles would not be able to keep up with the riders without speeding.

The race's finish has also been moved from Nantgaredig, Carmarthenshire, the home of three-time Olympic cycling medallist Emma Finucane.

The Welsh government said it had worked with organisers to make sure the race could go ahead safely.

"Even though there was only seven miles of 20mph across the whole 237-mile, four-day race, and even then split into a number of very short sections, we couldn't guarantee to manage all of them safely."

Cycling: 20mph speed limit reroutes Junior Tour of Wales

The Junior Tour of Wales changes three of its five stages, cutting the length of the race.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Coffeeplanter]

Van der Poel to start in the European Championships some time in September. With his schedule, we'll see the jersey about as much as we did with Sagan as EC.