Discovery named to promote the sport of mountain biking in a new eight-year deal
Warner Bros. Discovery will combine its vast resources and expertise, including Discovery Sports Events and ESO Sports, to elevate mountain biking and reach a global audience.
Source: press release
The new vision of the sport will for the first time provide a more uniform platform for different mountain bike formats.
The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) has selected Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) to offer a new vision for mountain biking that will see the leading global media and entertainment company combine all its resources and expertise to elevate the sport and achieve a new global audience.
To offer a whole new vision for the future of mountain biking, the UCI will leverage WBD's global scale and vast media platforms, as well as partnering with two of the company's specialist organizations. This will see Discovery Sport Events join forces with the Enduro Sports Organization (ESO Sports) to provide the organization, production and media broadcast, promotion and marketing of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup.
Discovery Sports Events, the global promoter and leader in event management, will extend its relationship with the UCI to help promote the sport in support of the further growth of its global audience. ESO Sports, owner and operator of the Enduro World Series and in which WBD has recently invested, will lead the project to unify mountain biking globally and take it to new levels, in collaboration with the UCI.
Building on the popularity of mountain biking, this new approach will also bring innovations to the on-site and on-screen fan experience in order to continue to grow the fan base and enhance the global footprint of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup.
David Lappartient, president of the UCI, said: "I am excited about our partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery, which will take our UCI Mountain Bike World Cup to the next level. Discovery Sports Events has already worked wonders with track cycling - thanks to the innovative UCI Track Champions League - and I know that the exciting discipline of mountain biking will also benefit from their experience, their deep understanding of the expectations of athletes and fans. and the greater visibility this partnership will bring. Mountain biking will gain the momentum it deserves as we work together for the future of this vast and varied discipline".
Andrew Georgiou, President and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe, said: “Extending our relationship with the UCI to support the next stage of development and growth for mountain biking fits perfectly with the experience and ambitions of Warner Bros. Discovery. We will scale our global broadcast, streaming and online platforms to engage millions of people with sport, as well as the capabilities of Discovery Sports Events and ESO Sports. Together they have the skills and tools to develop the sport, as well as an understanding of the existing complexities and strengths of mountain biking, which are essential to better support the mountain biking community and grow the sport.".
In addition to the Olympic Games, the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup represents the pinnacle of the sport and sees the best cyclists in the world compete in multiple cross-country e downhill throughout the season. Overall, WBD's portfolio of cycling content - through Eurosport, GCN +, GCN, GMBN, EMBN, discovery + and more - already includes more than 200 professional events on road, track, BMX, cyclocross, mountain bike and all Olympic events. cycling disciplines.
Discovery Sports Events has also partnered with the UCI as a founding global promoter who conceived and built the groundbreaking UCI Track Champions League launched in 2021.
The agreement concludes a period of exclusive negotiations and follows a broad competitive bidding. Further details on the 2023 season and calendar will be announced soon.
