Public-service broadcaster France Télévisions has agreed a sublicensing deal with pay-television broadcaster beIN Media Group for rights to the 2015 Track Cycling World Championships.
BeIN Media has held the rights to the event since 2013, but newspaper L’Equipe said the new deal has been agreed ahead of the start of the five-day event today (Wednesday).
Daniel Bilalian, head of sports for France Télévisions, said the rights have been acquired for a “quite reasonable sum.” The broadcaster’s France Ô channel will cover the championships from Wednesday to Saturday, with France 3 taking over on Sunday.
“We do not necessarily expect record audiences but we did our job,” Bilalian said. “We felt it was important that the public-service broadcaster contributes to a better understanding of the sport and its champions.”
The 2015 Track Cycling World Championships are being hosted in the Parisian suburb of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines.