The 2014 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup presented by Shimano not only saw athletes reach new heights, it was also the most successful season yet in terms of Internet and television audiences. The nine rounds of the 2014 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup presented by Shimano were raced in nine different countries and four continents between April and September.
Television: audience more than doubles
Nearly 37 million television viewers in 19 countries worldwide tuned in to watch either the live coverage, highlights or news broadcasts of the 2014 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup presented by Shimano. This compared with 16 million the previous year.
Of the nine rounds of the 2014 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup presented by Shimano, the final event in Méribel, France, drew the largest television audience and was a fitting end for an unforgettable 2014 World Cup.
Internet: Live, clips and highlights
All rounds of the 2014 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup presented by Shimano were also streamed live on the Internet. Exclusive production partner and online broadcaster Red Bull Media House reported a total of 1,2 million live views worldwide on Red Bull TV and redbull.com/bike, plus 800.000 views by VOD in the first four days after each race.
A popular feature in 2014 series were the onboard Downhill runs and course introductions thanks to GoPro cameras installed on selected riders’ helmets.
“Our leading mountain bike series is very popular and continues to gain momentum,” observes UCI Off-Road Manager Peter van den Abeele. “With more channels in more countries coming on board we are reaching a wider fan base which further serves to develop this exciting discipline.”
“The UCI is constantly working with its partners to ensure innovative and exciting race coverage,” explained UCI Head of Marketing Cyrille Jacobsen. “Thanks to our partnership with Red Bull Media House, which dates back to 2012, our methods of bringing the action to the fans is constantly improving and evolving.”
He added that the World Cup series for this Olympic discipline continued to gain momentum thanks to its long-standing partnership with presenting sponsor Shimano, which is also exclusive provider of neutral technical assistance.
Television coverage at a glance:
• Broadcast by 53 channels in 19 countries
• 69 live broadcasts in Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Pan-Africa, Slovakia and Sweden
• Television audience totalled nearly 37 million
• 1.52 million TV viewers watched live.
Internet coverage at a glance:
• 54 hours’ live coverage
• 1.2 million live views
• 14 highlight magazines produced
• 800,000 Video on Demand views within four days of each event.
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