US pay-television sports broadcaster Universal Sports Network has extended a rights deal with the International Cycling Union (UCI) for coverage of the governing body’s events.
The deal will run for four years, from 2015 to 2018.
The agreement covers multi-platform rights, including exclusive television and digital rights, for the UCI Road World Championships and UCI World Championship and World Cup events in track cycling, BMX, mountain bike and cyclo-cross.
The deal will begin with coverage of the 2015 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in Tabor, Czech Republic this weekend.
“The US is a vital market for cycling and with Richmond, Virginia hosting the UCI Road World Championships later this year, 2015 is going to be a great year for cycling in the country,” UCI president Brian Cookson said. “We are seeing excellent demand from broadcasters for our events and around a dozen of new contracts with different broadcasters have been concluded recently.”