Streaming Cycling in UK - Discovery+ prices!

[Dogtrousers]

petition to make the TDF a class a sport and free to air
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/716157

THe subject was debated recently (ok not the TdF specifically, but the general subject of free to air cycling.)
https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commo...3348DB/ProfessionalCyclingFree-To-AirCoverage

Not sure what another debate would achieve. The govt has already given a response to the petition

 

[Pross]

It looks like yet another change to cycling coverage will be happening soon then with Warner Bros Discovery splitting up. TNT is being lumped in with the cable services like CNN that are being sold off rather than staying in the streaming / studio side of things.

 

[mjr]

It looks like yet another change to cycling coverage will be happening soon then with Warner Bros Discovery splitting up. TNT is being lumped in with the cable services like CNN that are being sold off rather than staying in the streaming / studio side of things.

They say TNT is going in with "Global Services" more than cable, as famous cable channel HBO is going into the Studio Services company.

Expected mid-2026. If this goes as expected, the two subscription services Max and Discovery+ will end up in different companies, says https://www.businessinsider.com/war...nies-streaming-studios-global-networks-2025-6

CNN may hold things up because news channels are more tightly regulated.

 

[stage hunter]

It looks like yet another change to cycling coverage will be happening soon then with Warner Bros Discovery splitting up. TNT is being lumped in with the cable services like CNN that are being sold off rather than staying in the streaming / studio side of things.

TNT and Discovery staying with the same company. Don’t see it’ll be different. They seem just to be splitting off the bits that compete with Netflix.

 

[Pross]

TNT and Discovery staying with the same company. Don’t see it’ll be different. They seem just to be splitting off the bits that compete with Netflix.

That’s not how I read it. My understanding is they are keeping the more valuable streaming stuff and splitting off the older cable TV networks like CNN with TNT going into that ‘networks’ part https://www.reuters.com/business/warner-bros-discovery-split-into-two-companies-2025-06-09/

I don’t understand big business but I’m not sure how attractive a debt ridden old style TV network will be to others.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Whatever the business details it are ... I doubt that the outcome for the viewing public will be anything good.

 

[stage hunter]

That’s not how I read it. My understanding is they are keeping the more valuable streaming stuff and splitting off the older cable TV networks like CNN with TNT going into that ‘networks’ part https://www.reuters.com/business/warner-bros-discovery-split-into-two-companies-2025-06-09/

I don’t understand big business but I’m not sure how attractive a debt ridden old style TV network will be to others.

The initial report from the business insider article says this "Global Networks will house brands including CNN, TNT Sports in the US, Discovery and Discovery+." So I dont see really see what the difference will be.

That said, i dont think showing cycling as it is at the moment on TNT is sustainable.

I suspect new GCN will be showing races in 5 years time at a much more reasonable subscription and without the needless razzle dazzle of studio shows at the moment (how many people are like me who never watch the Studio stuff)

 

[Pross]

The initial report from the business insider article says this "Global Networks will house brands including CNN, TNT Sports in the US, Discovery and Discovery+." So I dont see really see what the difference will be.

That said, i dont think showing cycling as it is at the moment on TNT is sustainable.

I suspect new GCN will be showing races in 5 years time at a much more reasonable subscription and without the needless razzle dazzle of studio shows at the moment (how many people are like me who never watch the Studio stuff)

The Global Networks bit is what they are selling off as far as I understand it so it will bepend on what any new owner wants to do. I guess if they are tied into paying for the rights they'll be looking at continuing to recoup those costs through a subscription but whether they'll lump it all into one or go back to the previous model or even look to offload the rights is anyone's guess considering how many times it has changed in recent years. It would be interesting to know if WBD make more from cycling fans that have 'upgraded' to the TNT package or did better packaging it seperately. Anecdotaly it feels like most previous subscribers have either given up or are sourcing less legitimate streaming.

 

[mjr]

[...] I guess if they are tied into paying for the rights they'll be looking at continuing to recoup those costs through a subscription but whether they'll lump it all into one or go back to the previous model or even look to offload the rights is anyone's guess considering how many times it has changed in recent years. It would be interesting to know if WBD make more from cycling fans that have 'upgraded' to the TNT package or did better packaging it seperately. Anecdotaly it feels like most previous subscribers have either given up or are sourcing less legitimate streaming.

According to the reports from when itv pulled out, the ASO rights are tied to WBD until 2030.

Other than offering split subscriptions or offloading the rights, another possible change would be to try to limit viewers "sourcing less legitimate streaming" as you put it, like the football leagues used to (and maybe still do... I'm not following it any more), pressing ASO, RCS, Flanders Classics and whoever to make the free streamers georestrict more tightly and/or hand over their viewer registration databases for deduplication and other pattern-spotting.

 

[TakeTheHighRoad]

I sense an opportunity to delve a little, and capitalise on the interest in cycling at this time of year. The Rest Is Entertainment podcast have a Q&A episode and they are very much ITK in entertainment circles. If enough people email therestisentertainment@gmail.com or therestisentertainment@goalhanger.com with a question about cycling coverage (and the end of Free To Air with this year's Tour) they may answer some of the questions about the business model and viewing figures