RIP GCN+

[Raest]

We don't know the numbers, but maybe cycling subscribers are just a small number and it's a loss anyway. So bundle minor sports with others that will fund the minor sports until the broadcasting rights end.

I don't doubt we are a small number but why lose that revenue anyway? As I said I know very little about the broadcasting business but I would guess that there are a lot more football/rugby fans that would be willing to pay the 30 quid to watch their favourite sports irrespective of whether they get to watch cycling as well. a) because cycling is a low priority but b) because they have been conditioned over the years to pay to watch those sports (live football has been behind a paywall for as long as I can remember in the UK). But that smaller (as small as it may be) group of cycling fans won't fork out 30 quid just to see cycling, which they have been watching for free or for a fraction of a cost for years. So they'll get (say) 95% of the football/rugby/cricket fans which they get anyway, and lose 80-90% of the cycling fans. It's a small loss, but it's still a loss.

 

[AmRacer]

I don't doubt we are a small number but why lose that revenue anyway? As I said I know very little about the broadcasting business but I would guess that there are a lot more football/rugby fans that would be willing to pay the 30 quid to watch their favourite sports irrespective of whether they get to watch cycling as well. a) because cycling is a low priority but b) because they have been conditioned over the years to pay to watch those sports (live football has been behind a paywall for as long as I can remember in the UK). But that smaller (as small as it may be) group of cycling fans won't fork out 30 quid just to see cycling, which they have been watching for free or for a fraction of a cost for years. So they'll get (say) 95% of the football/rugby/cricket fans which they get anyway, and lose 80-90% of the cycling fans. It's a small loss, but it's still a loss.

Football/rugby/cricket fans paying indirect for cycling and other minor sports with a higher monthly subscription fee.

 

[Raest]

Football/rugby/cricket fans paying indirect for cycling and other minor sports with a higher monthly subscription fee.

You're probably right, I don't remember what was their most expensive tier before the change. I suspect less that 30 quid.

 

[awavey]

You're probably right, I don't remember what was their most expensive tier before the change. I suspect less that 30 quid.

Discovery + Premium was £30.99 per month

prices increased to that almost exactly a year ago from £29.99 per month Which it had been since July 2023 when WBD tookover BT Sport and renamed it TNT.

Prior to that it was £29.99 per month just for the 4 BT Sport channels, though it's not really an equiv package.

But basically no its always been this expensive

 

[Lequack]

How Warner Bros is destroying British pro cycling

View: https://youtu.be/-BoE__Jvyd0?si=aZ3FMrTnTpiaOb92

 

[awavey]

How Warner Bros is destroying British pro cycling

View: https://youtu.be/-BoE__Jvyd0?si=aZ3FMrTnTpiaOb92

is that some meta kind of judgement on the whole situation ? "Video unavailable playback on other websites has been disabled by the video owner"

 

[Lequack]

is that some meta kind of judgement on the whole situation ? "Video unavailable playback on other websites has been disabled by the video owner"

Nah that's pretty common for a lot of Youtube videos.

 

[saunaking]

I gotta say, flosports taking me back to the tiz cycling days vibes. Started buffering and crashed in the last 500m of both stages 2 and 4 of Valenciana. Using the app on a fire stick. Kinda annoying but whatever.

 

[Theyellowjersey]

Eurosport has gotten so damn expensive, this is horrible

I watched an Episode of “The Gruppetto” this week.

If money is going on episodes that’s look like they were produced in a spare bedroom at his aunts house - that’ll be a no from me.

I’ll spend my time/money on alternatives.

 

[zlev11]

I gotta say, flosports taking me back to the tiz cycling days vibes. Started buffering and crashed in the last 500m of both stages 2 and 4 of Valenciana. Using the app on a fire stick. Kinda annoying but whatever.

your problem is probably the fire stick. amazon garbage. get a roku.

 

[Lequack]

Warner Bros Discovery wrote off £33m of debt in Global Cycling Network, documents reveal

MSN

 

[Rob5091]

Warner Bros Discovery wrote off £33m of debt in Global Cycling Network, documents reveal

MSN

Thanks for the post! A bit of a recap -

Following the announcement of the closure of the GCN+ streaming platform in December 2023, Warner Bros Discovery announced in June 2024 that it would sell Play Sport Network to Mia Walter, the chief executive at the time of the sale, and former owner Simon Wear. ...
Warner Bros Discovery first took a stake in the business in 2017, and in 2019 took a majority stake in Play Sport Network for a reported total of £40m, which at that point was understood to value the business at £70m.

The value of the purchase by Simon Wear and Mia Walters is not outlined in public documents. Warner Bros Discovery is understood to have retained a smaller stake in the business, and the annual accounts reveal that in September 2024 1,256,056 Deferred shares – valued at £1,256,056 – were issued to Warner Bros Discovery following the sale.

From June 2024 https://cyclry.com/founders-reclaim-gcn-from-warner-bros-discovery/

Let’s rewind. Warner Bros. Discovery, that omnipresent media behemoth, gobbled up a majority stake in Play Sports Network back in 2019. They’d already dipped their toes in the water with a minority share in 2017, but like any good megacorporation, they couldn’t resist diving in headfirst. Fast forward to 2024, and Warner Bros. Discovery has decided to offload Play Sports Network, like a bored child discarding last season’s toy, while conveniently keeping a minority stake and, more importantly, the juicy television rights to cycling events. Those precious broadcasts, once the lifeblood of GCN+, will now grace Warner Bros. Discovery’s own platforms—Eurosport, Discovery+, and Max. It’s almost as if they realized they prefer raking in the cash without the hassle of actually running a cycling network. ...Warner Bros. Discovery is sticking to its grand plan of monopolizing live cycling coverage through its streaming services and linear television. They boast about offering “the widest range of men’s and women’s races anywhere,” which sounds impressive until you remember they’re just shifting their own content from one platform to another, like a magician trying to convince you he’s pulled a rabbit out of a hat when really it’s just a slightly different hat.

 

[fenns]

Went to start subscribing this year at 6.99.

Couldn't find the option - only 30.99 for everything or 3.99 for nothing

No thanks

 

[Rob5091]

Even WarnerBrosdiscovery's Max subscription is getting flack in Scandinavia.
Swedish media (HERE in the local lingo) is reporting upping of price and unless you get the "Premium" service it's standard HD pic and sound. 40%+ increase in subscription in less then 2 years so the punters are not amused.
Times must be hard at WBD but they're driving people away.

 

[Ricco']

TIL that Max had HD quality available.

That wasn't my experience for the period of time I tried to watch it through their web browser experience - yes, because even paying for that isn't enough to develop a Windows app.

 

[awavey]

The first episode of Orla & Blyths freebie Ultimate cycling show airs this Thursday on Quest in the UK

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/...ng-show-but-its-not-live-racing-or-highlights

 

[Rob5091]

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/...r-de-france-vuelta-a-espana-and-paris-roubaix

While 2025 will see TNT Sports' cycling output broadcast on Discovery+, WBD's other streaming service, Max, which operates in the US and select parts of Europe, is set to be launched in the UK in 2026; cycling fans might therefore have to switch service again next year.

enriched and upscaled! You've never had it so good!

We will have an enriched digital operation with upscaled presence at key races, providing added depth and insight to the experience."

 

[TourOfSardinia]

Elsewhere,
in Italy the RAI loses rights to transmit (in the clear) the
Ronde Flanders & Amstel Gold Race
See, inItaliano:

Ciclismo in TV, nel 2025 la RAI perde Giro delle Fiandre e Amstel Gold Race

La RAI non trasmetterà Amstel Gold Race e Giro delle Fiandre 2025. Un colpo duro per il ciclismo in TV in chiaro dopo che già nelle ultime settimane era stato evidente che il trend per cui molti eventi erano ormai solamente ad appannaggio del colosso Discovery si sta andando rafforzato. Arriva...

cyclingpro.net

 

[awavey]

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/...r-de-france-vuelta-a-espana-and-paris-roubaix

enriched and upscaled! You've never had it so good!

I don't think we'll have enough to change platform for sports, TNT isn't going anywhere just yet in the UK, the Max launch part will be the what was the HBO part of WBD which is mostly what Sky Atlantic is now...keeping up 🙃

Which Sky have been in talks with WBD about for awhile and also access to the Harry Potter series, and they've reached an agreement of somekind

My hunch is Sky Atlantic goes and we got Max for the entertainment side as Sky subscribers, whilst TNT sticks with the sports side, at least until they replace the WBD CEO again.

2029 when the next Premier league sports rights go up for auction in the UK again we might then see a change with TNT and that will give them 4 years of running like this to see if what they're doing works.

 

[Rob5091]

In other bad news from WarnerBrosDiscovery -
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0q1w9q1qvyo

Warner Bros Discovery has confirmed plans to shut three of its gaming development studios. ... A spokesperson from Warner Bros told the Reuters news agency the decision was aimed at boosting profitability.

I don't know if it's as bad as Sir Jim's problems in Manchester, but if WBD close the staff canteen, then we know things are bad.

 

[noob]

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/...r-de-france-vuelta-a-espana-and-paris-roubaix

enriched and upscaled! You've never had it so good!

Even more studio talks and computer nerd tactics speculation instead of split screens.

All I want is good price and use of split screen. Not more studio boredom that's happening to every single sport so they all appear to be the same. 💩💩💩

 

[Rob5091]

The latest US news on WBD & sports and streaming, after the Venu fiasco. and losing out on showing NBA live,
https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/wa...craps-separate-sports-tier-launch-1236321101/

Warner Bros. Discovery reversed plans announced in September of 2023 to launch a premium tier for sports programming on Max, and said it also would keep sports and news available for subscribers to its standard and premium service levels.

A decision probably made in the light of what competitors are up to,

Most rival streaming outlets do not seek to have subscribers pay extra for sports. Indeed, NBCUniversal has tried to use its sports rights with the NFL and the Olympics to bring new users to Peacock. Amazon hopes its “Thursday Night Football” and a new NBA package drive greater usage of its Prime Video. Netflix did not seek an extra fee for streaming NFL games on Christmas Day.

 

[awavey]

I hadnt realised Eurosport actually effectively closes tonight, Id assumed it was at the end of the 28th, not 27th, well apparently 2am tomorrow morning, where the EPG now shows, "This Channel Has Closed" against them

Sky have already reordered the channels weirdly, so I spent ages searching for ES, as surely they could have just waited till it had gone, as theyll have to do another update to take them out.

 

[zlev11]

wow so today was the last ever cycling race on Eurosport? that's kinda sad.

 

[Rob5091]

wow so today was the last ever cycling race on Eurosport? that's kinda sad.

In the UK and Ireland, yes. Still available in Europe.