A petition is gaining momentum, calling for the Tour de France to be categorized as a ‘Category A’ event in the UK, which would require it to remain free-to-air. The petition has nearly 10,000 signatures, and supporters are aiming for 100,000 to trigger a debate in Parliament.
Currently, the Tour de France is not included in the UK’s Category A events, which are reserved for major sporting spectacles like Wimbledon, the FA Cup Final, and the Grand National. These events are protected by UK broadcasting laws, ensuring they are available for free on television. However, the Tour’s long-standing partnership with ITV is set to end this year, with Eurosport’s coverage also ceasing. Warner Bros. Discovery, through its TNT Sports platform, has secured exclusive rights to the Tour de France, meaning fans will soon face subscription fees to watch the race. A new subscription costs £30.99 a month.
The UK’s Category A events include the football World Cup (both men’s and women’s), the European Championships, the FA Cup Final, the Scottish Cup Final, the Grand National, the Epsom Derby, the rugby league Challenge Cup final, the rugby union World Cup final, Wimbledon finals, the Olympics, and the Paralympics. Additionally, Category B events, which require free-to-air highlights, include international football, the athletics World Championships, the Open golf championship, rugby union’s Six Nations, and more.
Cycling, aside from the Olympics, Paralympics, and Commonwealth Games, is absent from both categories. This has led Peter Treadway, who initiated the petition, to push for the Tour de France to join the ranks of protected events. “Cycling is one of the most accessible sports to take up, but it is one of the least accessible to watch,” Treadway said. “With the closure of the UK’s last UCI Continental team, Saint Piran, British cycling is in a dire state. If we want to inspire the next generation, we need to keep the biggest race in the sport available to everyone.”
Treadway expressed his surprise at the petition’s rapid growth, saying, “Reaching 100,000 signatures is ambitious but achievable, especially as we get closer to the Tour. It’s one of those rare topics where a lot of people agree that something this iconic should be accessible to all. No one would accept the Olympics or World Cup being behind a paywall, and many feel the same about the Tour de France.”
However, WBD Sports Europe’s senior vice president, Scott Young, has made it clear that free-to-air live cycling is not part of the broadcaster’s future plans. He also stated that WBD is not concerned that putting the sport behind a paywall will hinder fan growth.
The petition is open to UK residents and can be found online. For more details on how to watch cycling in the UK and beyond, a streaming guide is available.
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