Good news for cycling fans: the biggest cycling races of the year will be broadcast on free channels across much of Europe until 2030. The ASO announced this on Friday, following a deal with the EBU, a coalition of public broadcasters in most European countries.
The ASO, organizer of major events like the Tour de France, Vuelta a España and spring classics such as Paris-Roubaix and Liège-Bastogne-Liège for both men and women, has partnered with the EBU (European Broadcasting Union), an organization dedicated to ensuring the broadcast of such events.
In addition to the Tour, Vuelta, Liège and Roubaix, the ASO's men's race package includes the Flèche Wallonne, Paris-Nice, Critérium du Dauphiné, Cyclassics Hamburg, Eschborn-Frankfurt, Clásica San Sebastián, Paris-Tours, Tro Bro Leon and Volta Catalunya. In terms of women's racing, viewers can enjoy coverage of the Tour, Vuelta, Liège, Roubaix and Flèche Wallonne.
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The deal, valid until 2030, applies to Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Switzerland. Eurosport/Warner Bros Discovery has also secured broadcast rights for these ASO races through a so-called 'sub-license'.
"This is a tremendous win for all cycling fans in Europe," said EBU leader Frédéric Sanz in an ASO press release. "We’re giving them access to the sport they love, thanks to the trust of the ASO, our leadership and our partnership with Eurosport."
Public broadcasters are free in all European countries (as the name suggests). That means we have many years of free cycling television ahead. Cheers to that!