UCI CYCLING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2023 WITH SPECTACULAR AUDIENCES

Posted by Corriendo la Vida on October 18, 2023 in trail running spain, UCI CYCLING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2023 | Leave a comment

UCI CYCLING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2023 WITH SPECTACULAR AUDIENCES. Our BIKE section bring us the news about the UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow and across Scotland, and the Spectacular TV and digital audiences for 2023

Photo UCI

________________________________________

UCI Cycling World Championships

The inaugural UCI Cycling World Championships, a groundbreaking event that merged 13 UCI World Championships, captivated global audiences with unprecedented television and digital viewership. Held in Glasgow and across Scotland from August 3 to 13, the championships showcased an exceptional blend of cycling disciplines, resulting in record-breaking numbers.

Over the 11 days of competition, more than 200 million hours were watched globally on television, marking a staggering 75% increase compared to the average for separate UCI World Championships held in Europe from 2017 to 2022. The consolidated event proved highly successful in uniting different cycling disciplines.

Road cycling events, contributing half to this achievement, shattered audience records in multiple countries, boasting a 22.2% increase in hours viewed compared to the average for the 2017-2021 UCI Road World Championships. Track cycling events, representing a third of the total hours viewed, saw an outstanding 162% increase. Mountain bike events witnessed a doubling of hours viewed (24 million), while BMX (Racing and Freestyle) experienced an impressive jump 15 million). Para-cycling (road and track) garnered two million hours of viewership, reflecting a significant increase from previous years with limited broadcasting.

In Europe, the TV figures reinforced the success of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships, with over 80 million viewers across the continent. Notable numbers included 18.2 million viewers in France, 15.5 million in Italy, and 11.9 million in the UK.

The event’s triumph was evident in specific countries. In France, UCI Cycling World Championships road events set records, with the Men Elite road race attracting 1.8 million viewers (18.2% audience share), an all-time high. The Women Elite road race drew 1 million viewers (13.4% audience share), the highest since 2013. The United Kingdom recorded 963,000 viewers for the downhill (mountain bike) races, Men and Women Elite, marking the first time the competition was broadcast on the BBC’s main channels.

Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany also witnessed remarkable increases in viewership, showcasing the widespread appeal of the championships.

These exceptional television audience figures can be explained by the unprecedented scale of this inaugural event and by the growing popularity of the various cycling disciplines, which also benefited from the mix of the various UCI World Championships, combined with full production and extensive coverage on some of Europe’s biggest channels.

Digital platforms played a pivotal role in the success story, with the UCI’s extensive coverage generating 245.2 million impressions and 7.2 million engagements. Social media engagement reached new heights, with the UCI’s community of cycling fans growing to over 5.1 million followers. the UCI provided coverage of the event 24 hours a day, seven days a week for 11 consecutive days. The result was an all-time record of 3,500 posts across 23 separate accounts.

UCI President David Lappartient expressed his satisfaction, stating, “The first edition of the UCI Cycling World Championships was an unprecedented success. The event saw around 8,000 athletes (elite and amateur) from 132 countries take part in the various disciplines on the programme. On the first day of competition, the 192nd UCI Congress in Glasgow brought together representatives from 151 of the 203 National Federations affiliated to the institution. Never before in the history of our International Federation have so many members gathered together.”

“The TV figures show that the public massively followed the UCI Cycling World Championships competitions, and that events and disciplines that do not normally benefit from such a high level of TV and media coverage benefited greatly from the increased exposure that will boost their popularity and development at the international level.”

2023 UCI Cycling World Championships Chair Paul Bush OBE said: “The 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships was an unparalleled celebration of cycling, and we are delighted that so many fans from around the world watched the event on television, in addition to the estimated one million spectators who lined the roads and filled venues over the 11 days of competition.”

“The comprehensive coverage of the inaugural UCI Cycling World Championships across 130 countries showed why Glasgow, and Scotland is the perfect stage for major events and we hope that the event has inspired viewers to come and experience all that Scotland has to offer.”

Eurovision Sport Executive Director Glen Killane said: “We would like to congratulate the UCI and the organizers of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships for this inaugural, visionary event which has proven to be a huge success.

“On top of having been host broadcaster for the whole event, we are proud that Eurovision Sport has brought together Europe’s biggest free-to-air broadcasters to secure maximum exposure for this fantastic event. We always aspire to maximize value for stakeholders and have been delighted to work with UCI to help create a must-see event, enabling millions of cycling fans to be part of the action.”