The European Broadcasting Union and IMG were “appointed by the Int’l Cycling Union (UCI) to market the int’l rights to all World Championships for the period of ’17-24,” according to MEDIA SPORTIF. The EBU “will handle the rights in Europe, and IMG will handle the rights in the rest of the world.” With the new duo, the UCI wants its events to be “offered with unprecedented media exposure in all territories.” The EBU and IMG “replace Infront Sports & Media,” which had a deal to distribute the int’l rights with the UCI since ’12. Since ’13 beIN Sports has “broadcast the lineup of cycling world championships in France.” In order to maintain some free-TV coverage, beIN Sports “completed a sub-license agreement with France Télévisions for the road and track world championships” (MEDIA SPORTIF, 4/7).
'QUEEN OF THE CLASSICS': On Sunday, France Télévisions and Eurosport 1 “will broadcast the 114th edition of the Paris-Roubaix cycling event live.” For the first time, the “queen of the classics” will be broadcast “in its entirety from the start at Compiègne to the finish at the Roubaix velodrome.” The broadcast will “serve as a trial run” for France Télévisions in preparation to broadcast the 2017 Tour de France in its entirety (MEDIA SPORTIF, 4/7).
