"I was pretty down, so I was like, just take another punch" - everything falling apart for cycling legend and ITV commentator David Millar
Cycling
Former excellent Scottish timetrialist David Millar has been through some rough times recently. After being forced to shut down his clothing brand CHPT3, he was dealt a perhaps even heavier blow when it was announced that his saga Tour de France commentator at the British ITV would come to an end in 2025. Due to an exclusive deal between race organiser ASO and Discovery, the Grande Boucle will be only available on premium streaming platforms for as much as £31/month to viewers in United Kingdom.
"I was properly shocked, to be honest with you," Millar says in an interview with Cyclingnews. Together with Ned Boulting, they have been the ones who brought highest-level cycling to British wider audience for years. But now there's an end to that - something he never thought would happen. "I think, foolishly, Ned and I thought we'd be doing it forever. That's just how it worked, [it had had] 40 years on air."
For Millar this could also mean that he might completely disappear from the commentator's seat for a while. "But in the world of commentary, once you're with a broadcaster, you tend to stay with that broadcaster. Commentators don't flit between broadcasters. So it's not as though I could go and find another job. It's the end of an era."
"There was shock, but I had the CHPT3 thing happening at the same time, so [in my mind] it was a bit like chaos theory. I was pretty down, so I was like, just take another punch. It was melancholic, because we had so much fun doing it, and it was so experiential. It was such a privilege to do those races, especially the Tour de France, with that production. It's something I grew up with, and we know how many people it touches from outside our world. The ITV show is much bigger than cycling."
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