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Sky Sports add new cycling show 'inCycle' to 2014 schedule

Elite cycling magazine show aims to bring news and analysis to the season's racing ...

Satellite TV station Sky have announced the launch of cycling sport show inCycle, which will start a 28-week run on March 19.

The 24-minute magazine programme, in association with IMG Media, will include news, features, previews and reviews around the major international cycling events, many of which Sky will cover live, or through highlights in 2014.

Sky’s coverage of this season's races will include live programming of this month’s Santos Tour Down Under and daily highlights of the Giro d’Italia in May. A list of Sky’s race coverage this season can be found here.

Sky’s move to increase their cycling coverage comes off the back of continued British success at the Olympic Games and in the Tour de France. The partnership with IMG media, and the creation of inCycle, is indicative of the increased airtime and column inches cycling is receiving in the British media - with news outlets like the BBC donating more time to cycling than ever before.

ITV4’s coverage of the Tour de France for example, which will continue to run until 2015, has seen figures increase year-on-year. Their own ITV4 cycling culture magazine programme - The Cycle Show - has seen enough success to complete two seasons in the 8pm, Monday night slot, and is pegged for an increased run of 13 episodes for its third season in June.

The EVP of IMG Media, Ioris Francini, highlighted road cycling’s growing audience in a statement released alongside the announcement.

He said: “Road cycling has become globally one of the fastest growing sports for professionals and amateurs alike.

“Using state of the art visuals and technology, this product will showcase riders, stages, riding techniques, equipment, locations, team tactics and performance data in a way that is completely unprecedented and yet fully complementary to the live coverage of road cycling.”

Sky Sports Commercial Director, Richard Verow, also highlighted inCycle’s potential to be a perfect companion for Sky’s range of live race coverage.

inCycle will offer a whole new perspective on the world of elite cycling and help deepen our engagement with Sky Sports viewers,” Mr Verow said. “[It will] serve as an ideal complement to our schedule of races including the Giro d’Italia, the Tour Down Under and Milan-San Remo.”

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10 comments

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FurnaceMedia | 10 years ago
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Having worked in Cycling production for many years it's all the about the rights... to get 30" of footage from the ASO costs a lot of money and pushes the budget of most programmes beyond it's limit. Sky targeting the rights for the TdF has been touted for a few years now.. It would be a disaster in my opinion if that happened. I think for Cycling to blossom to it's full potential and attract sponsors it has to be on terrestrial TV, it's of no benefit to anyone to have the Premier Calendar & the Elite Circuit Series buried on Eurosport for example.

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Adders69 | 10 years ago
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Sky coming across as Jonny-come-lately's is a problem for me. Eurosport coverage is good - hope we see Dave Harmon back in the chair though.

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allez neg | 10 years ago
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Perhaps Sky like the idea of having their logo liberally splashed over the other sports channels and thus may prefer to keep the cycling on other channels

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Orbea Mike replied to allez neg | 10 years ago
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I think Sky would surely be better keeping TdF on Free to Air channels. There would be limited value to Sky "advertising" their product, Sky Sports, on a SKY Sports channel to which the person watching is already subscribed too. If you see what I mean  1

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mrmo | 10 years ago
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Wouldn't be impressed if cycling ends up on Sky, you just know that rather than keep it all on one channel you are going to have to subscribe to all the channels!!!

This is aside from a pathological hatred of Murdoch!

I guess I would have to rely on ( I assume I am not allowed to name them) internet streams that are always available. Even if the commentary is in Dutch or Italian.

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Will Steed | 10 years ago
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Leave cycling on Eurosport. I would be proper pissed off if i have to pay 35 quid a month for sky sports to watch pro cycling. The thought of my 35 pound going straight into Mr Rooney and Mr Terry's pockets would destroy me.

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jollygoodvelo replied to Will Steed | 10 years ago
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Will Steed wrote:

Leave cycling on Eurosport. I would be proper pissed off if i have to pay 35 quid a month for sky sports to watch pro cycling. The thought of my 35 pound going straight into Mr Rooney and Mr Terry's pockets would destroy me.

Strange reaction. Why suggest that the subs money goes into Mr Rooney and Mr Terry's pockets, when a) Sky has been funding British Cycling and the Sky team for the best part of a decade, and b) BT outbid Sky for TV rights last time around...

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Will Steed replied to jollygoodvelo | 10 years ago
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The amount sky put into cycling is tiny compared to what is pumped into Premiership football. Thats why football teams can pay players £100,000+ a week which is dicusting. I dont want to pay £35 a month of my hard earnt money to go into these players pockets to watch cycling.

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ljblas | 10 years ago
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About time - I'm amazed it's taken this long. Sky have really been slow on the uptake considering they sponsor a top World Tour team.
Shame their commentary for races is just a feed from Eurosport though, would be good to have Ligget/Sherwen combo and not Carlton (should be a radio 2 DJ) Kirby.

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wwfcb replied to ljblas | 10 years ago
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ljblas wrote:

About time - I'm amazed it's taken this long. Sky have really been slow on the uptake considering they sponsor a top World Tour team.
Shame their commentary for races is just a feed from Eurosport though, would be good to have Ligget/Sherwen combo and not Carlton (should be a radio 2 DJ) Kirby.

Just watched a bit of the Tour Down Under, and I forgot how much I dislike the Ligget/Sherwen combo. Give me Eurosport any day of the week.

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