It’s not every day that people such as Mark Cavendish, Mathieu van der Poel and Ned Boulting are name-dropped in the UK Parliament, but all three were cited on Wednesday morning in a half-hour debate about the merits of free-to-air cycling coverage.
Proposed by Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty, the debate stemmed from the recent closure of Eurosport, and cycling’s shift to Warner Bros. Discovery’s (WBD) premium channel TNT Sports, carrying with it a 343% price hike, from £6.99 to £30.99 a month.
Speaking in Westminster Hall, Obese-Jecty described the loss of free-to-air cycling coverage as a “metaphor for the crisis that has befallen professional cycling in the UK”.
“Eurosport’s demise is a hammer blow for coverage of cycling in the UK,” he said.
“Cycling is one of those sports that people almost fall into by accident. Everyone had a bike growing up, everyone learns how to ride a bike, and I think the inspiration for riding that bike, and potentially taking it further and wanting to ape some of those successes that we see in the Olympics every four years is something that comes from having that on TV in front of you.”
A self-professed “cycling bore”, Obese-Jecty said he had been inspired to take up cyclo-cross after watching Van der Poel race on Eurosport.
The MP went on to say that he thinks it would be a “tragedy” that a potential Tour de France Grand Départ in the UK in 2027 will not be available to watch for free. This is because WBD, the parent company of Eurosport and TNT Sports, has signed an exclusivity deal in the UK for the race from 2026, meaning it will go behind a paywall, ending a 25-year run on ITV.
“For many, terrestrial coverage of the Tour de France has been their only entry point to a sport that is fundamentally extremely niche,” Obese-Jecty said.
“The Tour de France is more than just a famous cycling race, it is the gateway to a sport that is otherwise comparatively inaccessible, now made even more so by the decision to remove live free-to-air coverage from our TV screens.”
Obese-Jecty was congratulated on securing the debate by the Minister for Sport, Stephanie Peacock, who said she “sympathised” with his points about price hikes, but added it is “not for the government to intervene in such decisions”. The debate was not well attended, with around 10 people present in the room.
“To be popular, a sport must be visible. To be visible, a sport must have a television presence,” Obese-Jecty said. “The government would never allow the FIFA World Cup, the Olympic Games, or Wimbledon to be put behind a paywall.”
The MP concluded by expressing his concern that “the visibility of the sport will be limited to slightly overweight, middle-aged men, like myself, pootling around on a Sunday morning in their lycra, inspiring very few.”
Even though the issue has been raised in parliament, there is little guarantee the government will take any action.
WBD Sports Europe's senior vice president, Scott Young, has previously made clear that free-to-air live cycling is not on the broadcaster's "road map". He has also said that there are no concerns within WBD that putting the sport behind a paywall will stunt future fan growth.
