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Eurosport to stay on Sky as last-ditch agreement reached

Discovery Networks had threatened to pull its channels from platform in pay dispute

Eurosport will remain available to Sky subscribers in the UK after the channel’s owner, Discovery Networks, settled its dispute with the pay-TV provider just hours before it was due to pull the plug on its programming.

The two media giants had been in dispute over the amount of money Sky pays Discovery for the content it provides through channels including Eurosport, which plans to broadcast 200 days of live cycling this year.

> Eurosport set to disappear from Sky's channel line-up

Discovery had claimed that the money it receives from Sky now is less than it obtained a decade ago, and threatened to withdraw access to its channels from midnight yesterday.

However, with less than four hours remaining, it said that it had reached an agreement with Sky.

Managing director of Discovery Networks UK, Susanna Dinnage, said: "We want to thank our millions of viewers and fans for their overwhelming support over the last few days.

"We have reached a new agreement that guarantees Sky’s customers access to Discovery’s wide range of channels and programmes for years to come."

While the hatchet appeared to have been buried, the two sides continued to squabble yesterday evening after Stephen van Rooyen, CEO of Sky UK, claimed that “Discovery accepted the proposal we gave them over a week ago.”

Discovery denied that was the case, with a spokesman saying: “The deal we reached with Sky is meaningfully better than our former agreement and their proposal.  Furthermore, our new arrangement enables us to control our destiny in more ways, with even more opportunities to invest and launch channels and consumer services."

Last week, Eurosport announced that it had secured exclusive UK rights to the Giro d’Italia and other major Italian races until 2020 following a four-year extension of its existing contract with race organisers RCS Sport.

The channel will also be showing major races including the Tour de France and other races owned by ASO such as Paris-Roubaix, as well as events organised by Flanders Classics such as the Tour of Flanders.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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6 comments

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Kapelmuur | 7 years ago
1 like

I wonder how many Sky Sports subcribers (like me) called Sky to cancel their subscription?

Enough to send Sky back to negotiate with Discovery?

Anyway, the £10 per month reduction Sky offered me is more than enough to pay the Eurosport subs.

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theloststarfighter | 7 years ago
0 likes

Well what a relief I would have lost TLC and their programme, Say Yes to the Dress

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Simmo72 | 7 years ago
0 likes

Wow what an amazing coincidence.  I decided that discovery would amazingly agree last minute having raked in some extra money for their chirstmas party by knocking out their direct model for peanuts

 

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Anthony.C | 7 years ago
1 like

Well, that was predictable. I wonder how many people took up the 20 quid Eurosport subscription special offer that expired last night..

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Yorkshire wallet replied to Anthony.C | 7 years ago
0 likes
Anthony.C wrote:

Well, that was predictable. I wonder how many people took up the 20 quid Eurosport subscription special offer that expired last night..

Err....

Stands in corner with dunce hat on.

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steviemarco | 7 years ago
0 likes

I guess that's why my Sky subscription just went up £2.50 per month, albeit that was for broadband to cunningly disguise the Discovery payment?!

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