Many Cycling fans are fretting about the loss of Eurosport - which closed last week - the huge raft of sports they have shown transferring to TNT Sports.
For 30 years Eurosport provided free coverage of cycling and other niche or marginal sports. Few want to pay the £30 a month demanded by TNT Sports. They wonder will TNT keep to their promise to continue showing our sport in depth.
Well, after a moment’s deliberation we have a taken a chance
and signed the deal to pay for TNT. We decided we couldn’t do without the
cycling and cross-country skiing coverage which Eurosport have provided so well
for three decades and which ended at the end of February.
Sorry to lose Eurosport, which provided so much coverage of cycling. It was a dream for the cycling and cross-country skiing fan. We've got used to seeing in depth coverage of all the classics and the grand tours, and a lot of smaller races as well, not to mention track, cyclo-cross and MTB.
Now it will cost £30 a month to watch on TNT.
We did, however, secure the special offer to receive TNT for
~£15.49 for seven months. After which it will increase to £30.99 a month.
And we get the Discovery Plus on the laptop, for £3.99
instead of six quid something…
Judging by the comments on social media a lot of people are
unhappy to have to pay for something they have had free for so long!
We took the view that being carers looking after our ill daughter who has been housebound for nigh on 10 years - meaning we are mostly stuck indoors too - TV is the only thing which keeps us from going stir crazy, even if we catch only bits of coverage. But we're lucky, sensory issues means she is denied even this.
So cheerio British Eurosport and welcome to TNT.
Broadcast history will record that Denmark’s Magnus Cort became the last winner
of a race shown on Eurosport last Thursday, the O Gran Camino, with a timely
sprint win.
That said, Eurosport will continue elsewhere in Europe. I
read in The Guardian that Britain had a low viewing share compared to the
Netherlands, France, Germany and Scandinavia, where skiing, handball,
basketball and volleyball are among the major sports.
The worry is if cycling viewing figures drop, will TNT kick
cycling off the screen!
Suppose there is always darts.
