Just 2.5% of British cycling fans happy to pay for 340% increase to watch cycling on TNT Sports

One week ago, Eurosport officially merged into TNT Sports, a move that has significantly impacted cycling fans across the UK. While the rebranding itself was expected, what wasn’t anticipated was the huge price increase that has come with it.

For years, Eurosport provided affordable access to elite cycling races, but now fans must pay a staggering £30.99 per month, compared to the previous £6.99 per month. That’s an increase of over 340%! An astronomical rise, especially in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis in the UK.

According to Cycling Weekly, only 2.5% of their readers indicated they would be willing to pay for TNT Sports, a figure that highlights just how alienating this change has been for core cycling fans. It’s one thing if you follow multiple sports, as TNT also covers football, rugby, cricket, and MotoGP, but for those who only care about cycling, the price hike is difficult to justify.

“It’s a disgrace,” said one respondent to Cycling Weekly’s survey, James Ashberry. “In our house, we recently went through all our subscriptions and services to see what we could cut back on and made some significant savings. We even cancelled the milkman because it’s more expensive than walking to the shop. I just can’t justify this.”

For many, the appeal of cycling lies in its accessibility. Fans have often stumbled upon the sport by chance, discovering the Tour de France on free-to-air channels or watching the Olympics. For years, ITV’s iconic ring tone to the Tour de France has been the sound of July for UK fans, but they’re also leaving the sport after 2025. And now, taking cycling behind an expensive paywall risks cutting off new fans before they even have a chance to get interested.

“My interest in road cycling was sparked by casually watching the Tour and Olympics in 2012,” said respondent Simon Arnot, with that being a golden summer for British sport as Wiggins won the Tour and Olympic gold. “No free-to-air or low-cost coverage is going to push people away.”

This concern is echoed by former pro David Millar, who believes an entire generation could lose touch with the sport simply because of the financial barrier. “A whole generation is going to lose the Tour because they’re not going to buy a subscription.”

Tao Geoghegan Hart, a Giro d’Italia winner, took to Instagram to express his frustration. “Let’s be clear, the sport going behind such a large paywall is a huge problem. Professional sports are all competing for the same audience. Cycling is completely reliant on this audience… I find it hard to believe many fans will be able to justify this increase in costs.”

For a sport that has already struggled to increase its mainstream appeal, making it less accessible could be a serious setback.

Ian Foulds, another Cycling Weekly respondent, warned about the long-term consequences. “It's going to have a devastating impact from all sorts of angles,” he said. “What is going to inspire the next generation to attempt to become the pros of tomorrow? There are about 34 British pros this year, why has that happened? Because of free-to-air ITV Tour de France coverage, and because of the GCN app.”

There’s also a wider discussion about what exactly fans are paying for. The production of cycling broadcasts has changed over the years, incorporating more pre-race analysis, studio discussions, and in-depth breakdowns of tactics and race dynamics.

Dan Martin, a retired pro and now a cycling analyst, sees it as a natural evolution. “Gone are the days of just a commentator sitting in a box,” he said. “We've now got all this pre-show and post-show analysis, which all costs money, because cycling is becoming a bigger sport with a bigger audience, and people want that analysis and extra detail now.”

However, Martin also acknowledges that cycling fans are a niche group, and TNT’s approach seems to prioritise general sports fans over the dedicated cycling audience.

“On the whole, cycling fans are quite committed to cycling only,” he said. “That's been overlooked by TNT, who are clearly aiming for the general sports fan with this. I guess their theory is that if a football fan sees cycling is on after the match, they might end up watching it.”

This could go one of two ways. Either cycling gains new followers from casual sports fans who stumble across it, or the core audience dwindles, unable to afford the new price tag.

“You never know, it might end up bringing in more people who become fans,” Martin added. “You have to try and look at it positively if you can.”

The timing of the price hike, however, is what many find most frustrating. Foulds suggests a gradual increase would have been more reasonable rather than a sudden jump.

“Making that enormous leap in one go during a cost of living crisis in the UK, to me, is a very surprising move,” he said. “Either it’s a decision that has not been taken at UK boardroom level or it's just a case of going for the painful option because they have to.”

Other major sports broadcasters offer flexibility, something cycling fans are now missing out on.

“If I decide I want to watch Masters Golf, I can go onto my TV and buy one month of Sky Golf,” Foulds explained. “It might cost me 20 quid, but the point is I can watch it, and then decide when I want to opt out.”

With TNT Sports offering no pay-per-view or short-term cycling subscription option, many fans are left with an all-or-nothing decision, commit to an expensive full package or miss out entirely.

Unsurprisingly, some are considering alternative ways to watch races…

“It’s going to push people to illegal streaming sites or other platforms,” said Arnot, and fellow respondent Ashberry agreed: “Authorities want to crack down on illegal streams and ‘dodgy boxes’, but when subscription fees cost this much, it's difficult not to consider the illegal alternatives, as bad as that sounds.”

Not everyone is boycotting TNT Sports, though.

Ian George acknowledged the high cost, but admitted he would still subscribe. “It’s a shocking increase,” he said. “But I will probably end up paying, as I don’t want to miss out on all the great cycling coverage, especially the Classics… This is probably a realistic market price to watch it all.”

TNT’s gamble is clear. Either the cycling audience reluctantly absorbs the cost, or a significant portion of the fanbase turns away from the sport’s biggest races. If the 2.5% subscription rate from Cycling Weekly’s survey is accurate, TNT could be in for a rude awakening.