DH World Cup thread

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Apparently it's not just DH coverage. Tao Geogheganhart had a rather lengthy Igram posting I saw this morning regarding the uptick in cost of road bike racing coverage in the UK also.
 
Mabman said:
Apparently it's not just DH coverage. Tao Geogheganhart had a rather lengthy Igram posting I saw this morning regarding the uptick in cost of road bike racing coverage in the UK also.
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It's cycling, motorbikes, DH, xc, it'll be skiing as they was on Eurosport too, CX racing, biathlon, sailing, etc etc. this is not DH being singled out, this is anything and everything you'd find on Eurosport.
 
Its an interesting subject, being on the otherside of the world we aren't affected (yet) but if DH was to move onto our pay tv sports channels (Sky NZ) then I would be happier as I already pay $70 NZD a month for it.

But alas, if you only watch DH MTB then paying that much is probably not worth it.
 
Weeksy said:
Don't forget, Red bull had the option to buy/keep DH, they decided a value and it was lower than WBD. Red bull are not victims here in any way.
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I mean, that the answer right?? Why do the public have to pay more to watch it? Because the broadcaster paid the UCI more to have the rights for it, and they have to recover the cost.

Same as why football costs so much too watch, because the bidders for the broadcast rights fight to pay more to own the rights, and to make a profit they have to first cover the cost.
 
Interesting op-ed from Guy Kesteven, who's been around mountain biking since Pontius was a pilot (!) Top & bottom of his view is the suits don't care about anything other than their shareholders & this is doomed to fail anyway because the numbers have never beent there to support it.

www.mbr.co.uk

£30 to watch the downhill?! Why trying to make big money out of mountain bike coverage always fails - MBR

We’ve all heard about it, watching the World Cup live this year is going to cost a whole lot more money, as mountain biking gets lumped in with football and fighting. It’s dreadful news, but we shouldn’t be surprised, here’s why. First up it’s particularly unsurprising when Warner Brothers...
www.mbr.co.uk www.mbr.co.uk
 
Can't argue. There's less people prepared to pay/view than needed. But as I said, that's kinda why they need this deal as they're being propped up by the bigger sports. Of course that's not sustainable and eventually WBD will get this in their head. But currently, it's the best of a bad deal.

DH is the ultimate niche sport, that lots go to the events and are crazy passionate, but the other 99.9% of population are barely aware it even exists.
 
If it's being propped up by the mega money football revenue, then the inescapable conclusion is WBD have miscalculated & overpiad for the rights. A supporting observation for that idea is how they're pricing out marginal riders, presumably to attempt to make stars out of the big names in order to draw in casual viewers who can remember Bruni, Seagrave, Vergier, Pierron etc. but less so the Lalys, Meier-Smiths & Braytons of the scene.

However, a different pov is the're gambling the hardcore fans will stump up the fees just to watch the one sport they actually want from the package, which is as cynical as it gets. Looking around the chat boards, I reckon Firesticks are in for a mini sales boom.
 
Halfway through the BK edit this lunchtime. He doesn't say who but someone's had a big slam on one of the jumps. I have wondere what the deal is with contracted DH guys doing these high risk comps ahead of a season. Can't imagine Santa Cruz were happy to lose Jackson for the entire season last year but here he is again!
 
RustyMTB said:
Halfway through the BK edit this lunchtime. He doesn't say who but someone's had a big slam on one of the jumps. I have wondere what the deal is with contracted DH guys doing these high risk comps ahead of a season. Can't imagine Santa Cruz were happy to lose Jackson for the entire season last year but here he is again!
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Maybe because Hardline is a better series and the riders like it.
 
Not sure you can call two events a series & what the riders like is adjacent to the question. Seems the people there are taking part with the blessing of their respective teams.

The part I was wondering about was if you're running a circus with mechanics, managers, cooks, admin guys, coaches etc. & a budget in the hundreds of thousands, largely funded by sponsors, then I imagine they'll have an opinion on their star rider wrapping themselves around a tree at warp 9 in February. Probably more instructive to look at who isn't there.
 
What all of this will come down to is sponsors and the value they get from their riders.

Put the world cup behind an increasingly expensive paywall and you're guaranteed to get less eyes on your brand , PLUS you need to sponsor riders / teams that are guaranteed a place in the competition.

Whereas Hardline / Rampage / Crankworx are free and easily accessible , get half a million views to the live stream and maybe double that after the event as well. Plus there's all the media leading up to the event , even more exposure. I don't care what numbers WBD claim for their viewership , there's no way they're coming close to RedBull on their site and Youtube.

Time will tell , take eyes away from your "prestige series" and it's value decreases. We'll see at the end of the season I guess.
My 2 cents.
 
Spin said:
What all of this will come down to is sponsors and the value they get from their riders.

Put the world cup behind an increasingly expensive paywall and you're guaranteed to get less eyes on your brand , PLUS you need to sponsor riders / teams that are guaranteed a place in the competition.

Whereas Hardline / Rampage / Crankworx are free and easily accessible , get half a million views to the live stream and maybe double that after the event as well. Plus there's all the media leading up to the event , even more exposure. I don't care what numbers WBD claim for their viewership , there's no way they're coming close to RedBull on their site and Youtube.

Time will tell , take eyes away from your "prestige series" and it's value decreases. We'll see at the end of the season I guess.
My 2 cents.
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I don’t know anyone of my 10-14 MTB friends that watch hardline including me.

Yet we have a group chat for WC fantasy league and all religiously watch World Cup races. Possibly a kiwi thing though.
 
JP-NZ said:
I don’t know anyone of my 10-14 MTB friends that watch hardline including me.

Yet we have a group chat for WC fantasy league and all religiously watch World Cup races. Possibly a kiwi thing though.
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If it came down to it , of those 10 - 14 , how many would pay $50 - $60 NZD per month to continue to watch religiously ?
 
RustyMTB said:
Tahnee announced she wasn't going. Vali though is there & was practicing. Has she pulled out?
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She said on insta that she never intended to race and was there on practice days for the experience and to push herself.

I'm pretty sure some of the guys have contracts that say if they wish to do an event they can. I think Ronan said it was in his previously.
 
Type1 said:
She said on insta that she never intended to race and was there on practice days for the experience and to push herself.

I'm pretty sure some of the guys have contracts that say if they wish to do an event they can. I think Ronan said it was in his previously.
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I think you will find it has a little bit to do with the sponsor on his helmet.
Spin said:
If it came down to it , of those 10 - 14 , how many would pay $50 - $60 NZD per month to continue to watch religiously ?
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I don’t see why you keep bringing price into it, for yourself is it $50 a month in Australia? Last year was $10 a month or $50 for the whole season in NZ. I know two countries that have increased in price. But the rest of the world hasn't changed thus far...
 
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JP-NZ said:
I think you will find it has a little bit to do with the sponsor on his helmet.

I don’t see why you keep bringing price into it, for yourself is it $50 a month in Australia? Last year was $10 a month or $50 for the whole season in NZ. I know two countries that have increased in price. But the rest of the world hasn't changed thus far...
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I keep bringing price into it because it is because its a deterrent to viewers , some who already refuse to pay the local pricing and others that say the increase can't be justified.
In Aus it was $30 AUD per month last year. No info on this year so far.
 
Mcharza said:
For me, nicer jumps, whips, some flips and well filmed. Overall, TV viewer friendly. The biggest winner will be the fans, as someone wrote on Pinkbike.
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Fair enough, sounds like you'll be happy watching Rampage and the like then. Its not really racing though
 
JP-NZ said:
I think you will find it has a little bit to do with the sponsor on his helmet.
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By that logic you'd expect Bruni and many other riders to be there.

Redbull don't pay his Mondraker salary.
 
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