General News Thread

[Armchair cyclist]

People who pay for subscription sites always think they're entitled to everything they pay for, don't they?

I think that by definition people are entitled to everything that they pay for.

But what they (we) pay for is not necessarily everything.

 

[RedheadDane]

I think that by definition people are entitled to everything that they pay for.

But what they (we) pay for is not necessarily everything.

But surely it would be reasonable to expect international coverage of a WT race.

 

[Jumbo Visma Fan :)]

But surely it would be reasonable to expect international coverage of a WT race.

Yes, that is very reasonable. Poland should have WT status revoked.

 

[yaco]

There will be coverage in Polish.

 

[RedheadDane]

There will be coverage in Polish.

Okay, do you have a link? I assume they must show it on a free legal streaming site.

 

[yaco]

Okay, do you have a link? I assume they must show it on a free legal streaming site.

Tiz Cycling - It could be that prospective broadcasters could not come to a suitable financial settlement with the organisers.

 

[Finn84]

Paris 2024 event dates were published yesterday.

A change to the recent habits where road races have been held on first weekend, now they take place in second weekend (men on August 3, women on August 4) while time trials are held on the day after the opening ceremony (July 27)

Other cycling:

Mountain bike 28-29 July
BMX Freestyle 30-31 July
BMX Racing 1-2 August
Track cycling 5-11 August

 

[Kaptain Kool]

Okay, do you have a link? I assume they must show it on a free legal streaming site.

It will be on TVP Sport. They've archive every stage start-to-finish in recent years. It's geo-restricted, tho.

 

[RedheadDane]

It will be on TVP Sport. They've archive every stage start-to-finish in recent years. It's geo-restricted, tho.

Yes, exactly. It's geo-restricted. Only showing a race to your local audiense doesn't exactly scream "WT" to me.
Of course, there was also the issue with safety - and yes; organiserers do have some of the responsibility for the Jakobsen crash ending as badly as it did! - so why haven't they had their WT status revoked until everything's been solved?

 

[yaco]

Yes, exactly. It's geo-restricted. Only showing a race to your local audiense doesn't exactly scream "WT" to me.
Of course, there was also the issue with safety - and yes; organiserers do have some of the responsibility for the Jakobsen crash ending as badly as it did! - so why haven't they had their WT status revoked until everything's been solved?

You are speculating without knowing all the facts - Obviously if there is coverage available something has gone wrong with a GCN or similar making a suitable offer to the organisers to show coverage of the race - I think you'll find that the TDU is geo-restricted.

 

[Armchair cyclist]

As far as rights for UK and Ireland it is esentially a monopsonistic market (only one buyer for a product: thanks to Stephen Fry and QI for increasing my vocabulary), but there ought to be enough broadcast options elsewhere to compete each other into a price that the organisers will trade at.

I have only guesswork as my evidence about the financing of a bike race, but I would imagine that TV rights are not only a large proportion of income, but also a key factor in setting the sponsorship revenue. Regardless of any UCI action about forcing them to make the event widely available, I would have thought it would be hard to cover the costs of the event based only on national TV deals and exposure for sponsors, and so put the future of the event at risk.

I'd love to see a thread on the funding of events if anyone has more than guesswork to offer (or even a link to a good article on the subject).

 

[Jumbo Visma Fan :)]

You are speculating without knowing all the facts - Obviously if there is coverage available something has gone wrong with a GCN or similar making a suitable offer to the organisers to show coverage of the race - I think you'll find that the TDU is geo-restricted.

If GCN has made an offer to Poland and they rejected it, to keep their race only shown in Poland, then WT status should be rejected.

 

[RedheadDane]

You are speculating without knowing all the facts - Obviously if there is coverage available something has gone wrong with a GCN or similar making a suitable offer to the organisers to show coverage of the race - I think you'll find that the TDU is geo-restricted.

Oh, I'd love to know the fact, but they're not telling us the facts! Surely, it would be in their own best interest to tell people that unfortunately they couldn't reach a suitable deal, but they'll of course do their best to secure international coverage from next year.

It's already known now that TDU 2023 will be geo-restricted?

 

[postmanhat]

You are speculating without knowing all the facts - Obviously if there is coverage available something has gone wrong with a GCN or similar making a suitable offer to the organisers to show coverage of the race - I think you'll find that the TDU is geo-restricted.

I think in case of The TDU, it's almost certainly not worth any European broadcasters paying money to show it due to the time difference.

 

[RedheadDane]

I think in case of The TDU, it's almost certainly not worth any European broadcasters paying money to show it due to the time difference.

And yet tv2 Denmark did for several years.

 

[Kaptain Kool]

Tour Down Under has been on various European networks, including occasionally on ES. Pologne was on ES as recently as 2020 and on l'Equipe last year.

Just a guess but my impression is that the broadcasting landscape has changed over the last couple of years with the shift towards specialist subscription platforms. Deals are made with the bigger organizers (ASO, RCS, Flanders Classics) or with packages for smaller races (e.g., French Cup , Belgian Cup) and it's a little more complicated for the one-off WT races.

Tour de Suisse wasn't broadcast on GCN in my region, either. It was on some network I never heard off. Luckily, I could watch because it was on l'Equipe (geo-restricted) and then archived on Yahoo Sport France (non-restricted).

 

[tobydawq]

And yet tv2 Denmark did for several years.

Don't they still?

 

[RedheadDane]

Don't they still?

They obviously haven't done so for the last two years, because there hasn't been a TDU for the last two years.
I would assume they'll be showing it from next year again, but apparently it's gonna be geo-restricted.

 

[Ricco']

Paris 2024 event dates were published yesterday.

A change to the recent habits where road races have been held on first weekend, now they take place in second weekend (men on August 3, women on August 4) while time trials are held on the day after the opening ceremony (July 27)

Other cycling:

Mountain bike 28-29 July
BMX Freestyle 30-31 July
BMX Racing 1-2 August
Track cycling 5-11 August

Opening the way for some riders to try both the MTB and the Road Race?

 

[tobydawq]

They obviously haven't done so for the last two years, because there hasn't been a TDU for the last two years.
I would assume they'll be showing it from next year again, but apparently it's gonna be geo-restricted.

Who says that (apart from yaco)?

 

[RedheadDane]

Who says that (apart from yaco)?

Oh, I do hope that yaco is misinformed. Even though I probably won't be able to watch much.

Hey @yaco, do you have a source on the thing about TDU being geo-restricted?

 

[yaco]

If GCN has made an offer to Poland and they rejected it, to keep their race only shown in Poland, then WT status should be rejected.

Oh, I do hope that yaco is misinformed. Even though I probably won't be able to watch much.

Hey @yaco, do you have a source on the thing about TDU being geo-restricted?

For the last two years their has been the Santos Festival of Cycling which was a stripped back version of the TDU - It was broadcast as always on a free to air Television channel which I receive in Hong Kong through the Australian Television Network which is also streamed - Commentators are usually Liggett, McEwan and Keenan - The Women's TDU is also on a Free to Air Aussie channel and it's streamed. The Aussie national Championship are usually on SBS TV Channel and streamed along with the Cadel Ocean race and the Herads Sun Tour - I understand that GCN has highlight packages of the Herald Sun Tour and the TDU - From memory GCN cover the Cadel race. Otherwise you need to use a VPN.

 

[RedheadDane]

For the last two years their has been the Santos Festival of Cycling which was a stripped back version of the TDU - It was broadcast as always on a free to air Television channel which I receive in Hong Kong through the Australian Television Network which is also streamed - Commentators are usually Liggett, McEwan and Keenan - The Women's TDU is also on a Free to Air Aussie channel and it's streamed. The Aussie national Championship are usually on SBS TV Channel and streamed along with the Cadel Ocean race and the Herads Sun Tour - I understand that GCN has highlight packages of the Herald Sun Tour and the TDU - From memory GCN cover the Cadel race. Otherwise you need to use a VPN.

The Santos Festival of Cycling was not the TDU. It was a non-UCI replacement race...
So, what you're saying is that the TDU - the actual TDU - will not in fact be geo-restricted? And that I can in fact hope that Tv2 Denmark will be showing it?

 

[tobydawq]

The Santos Festival of Cycling was not the TDU. It was a non-UCI replacement race...
So, what you're saying is that the TDU - the actual TDU - will not in fact be geo-restricted? And that I can in fact hope that Tv2 Denmark will be showing it?

Of course, why would he know?

I like very much to get up at four am just that week of the year after three months without cycling.

 

[lemon cheese cake]

The GCN app and player only started in mid 2020 when the season restarted after the first big lockdown. Certainly in the UK the GCN racing facebook page preceded this and that year the Herald Sun Tour and the Tour Down Under were broadcast live on that page. For those the host commentary was used, though if the same is done next year with the gcn player then I wonder if they'll use their own commentary now they have Robbie McEwen in the ranks.