The flagship event will be featured in new territories, in addition to more extensive TV coverage in established markets. The International Cycling Union (UCI) and its marketing partner Infront Sports & Media together will achieve an unprecedented level of television broadcast coverage for the upcoming UCI Road World Championships – to be held in Florence, Italy, between 22 and 29 September 2013. The number of license holders as well as guaranteed broadcast visibility is higher than for any previous event held in the past. Overall, the event is to be featured across Europe, North and South America, Africa, Middle East, Asia and Australia.
The two partners have licensed international media rights for the event to around 30 television networks, increasing exposure through both free and pay TV coverage. In addition, the Championships will be featured in new territories for the first time including Al Jazeera (Middle East), Charlton (Israel) and Direct TV (South America).
In established markets, the successful rights distribution has increased the opportunity for fans and viewers to access the coverage from a more extensive range of channel options. For example In France, the event will be with both BeIN Sport and France TV. Across Scandinavia and the Baltics, the Viasat Group will broadcast on its free and pay platforms.
Long standing public broadcast partners continue to show support including in Belgium VRT and RTBF, BBC in the UK, NOS in Netherlands, Rai in Italy and SRG in Switzerland. Further European broadcasters include RTV Slovenia, Sport 1 Hungary, Czech TV in the Czech Republic, Polsat in Poland and Slovak TV in Slovakia.
Elsewhere the event will be taken by Universal Sports in the US, NHK in Japan, CCTV in China, Eurosport Asia Pacific (Pan Asia), Supersport in Africa and Globosat in Brazil. In addition to Rogers Sportsnet in Canada, French language channel RDS will broadcast for the first time. Contracts for worldwide news access have also been closed (SNTV and Perform).
A combination of live and highlights will also be available on the UCI’s Official You Tube channel, depending on each territory’s broadcast commitment.
A high appeal television product
In addition to media rights distribution, Infront is also handling the media production of the event, guaranteeing a high-level HDTV signal to broadcasters worldwide. More than 150 staff will guarantee smooth operations with over 25 cameras covering the cycling action from the air and on the road. Support is also provided for the broadcaster’s unilateral production along with transmission and commentary facilities. This year, more than 300 accreditations for broadcast teams have been registered, which is also a first in the history of the event.
In welcoming the continued collaboration with Infront, UCI President Pat McQuaid underlined the advantage of working with one entity for media rights distribution, production and related services: “Thanks to Infront’s experience in global sports rights distribution and its extensive network, the UCI Road World Championships will be accessible to more fans in both new and established territories,” he said. “This is leading the way for other cycling disciplines as well as demonstrating the sustained and ever growing global interest in the sport.”
Stephan Herth, Infront Executive Director of Summer Sports, added: “The UCI Road World Championships has never been more accessible to fans than it is today. Broadcasters are acknowledging the heritage and future potential of the sport along with the global fan community now benefitting from coverage worldwide. Depending on each market’s media landscape and cycling tradition and by working on a territory by territory approach, UCI and Infront have very closely worked together to select the best possible broadcast outlet for the event in each region.