On Friday, it was announced that streaming giant Netflix has agreed a £54bn deal to purchase Warner Bros. Discovery’s film and TV studios, a huge move that could potentially revolutionise Hollywood and the entertainment industry. But, most importantly, what does it mean for cycling fans?
Well, as it stands, not much. The deal struck between Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) today – pending some scrutiny from competition regulators and potential complaints from outbid rivals such as Paramount – only relates to WBD’s studio and streaming businesses.
That means film and television studios HBO and HBO Max, along with the likes of Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, The Sopranos, and the DC universe, will all fall under Netflix’s portfolio once the deal is completed late next year.
However, the deal does not include WBD’s networks, which fall under the Discovery Global banner and include Eurosport in Europe and TNT Sports in the UK and Ireland, as well the Discovery+ app and legacy cable networks such as CNN.
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In June, WBD announced its plans to separate its Streaming and Studios and Global Networks divisions into two distinct publicly traded companies. The deal with Netflix is reliant upon the separation of these two entities, which is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2026.
So, in theory, that means cycling fans – who currently fork out £30.99 a month to watch bike racing on TNT Sports and the Discovery+ app – will be unaffected by the deal.
However, Netflix’s acquisition of Warner Bros also comes at a time when TNT Sports, which took over as the ‘home of cycling’ in the UK and Ireland following Eurosport’s closure at the start of this year, is coming under increasing pressure, thanks to the loss of its lucrative Champions League football rights.
Last month, it was revealed that TNT had lost its UK rights to the Champions League, which it had inherited from the old BT Sport channel, to Paramount+, as well as the second-tier Europa League to Sky Sports.
And this week, those woes were compounded by the news that TNT had also lost the rights to international rugby union, after ITV paid £80m for the inaugural Nations Championship.
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While sources within TNT have insisted that a “fire drill” will not take place, the loss of two key viewer and subscriber-pulling sports could have a knock-on effect when it comes the value of their subscriptions.
Thanks to the decision to integrate Eurosport into TNT earlier this year, to watch bike racing on the TV in the UK and Ireland cycling fans currently have to pay a £30.99 a month subscription to get the full premium TNT Sports package with their Discovery+ app.
That’s a far cry from the previous £6.99 monthly subscription to the now defunct standalone Eurosport app, and the even cheaper options offered by the old, cycling-only GCN+ platform, which closed in 2023.
But, in the eyes of TNT, that marked jump in price was offset by the greater variety of sports on offer, including top-level European football featuring punditry by Rio Ferdinand and Michael Owen.
But despite the loss of the Champions League, a TNT source told the Guardian this week that there is no panic when it comes to recalibrating subscription fees.
“We’ve got 18 months to really think about other opportunities regarding pricing, packaging and buying other rights. We’ve already got a broader portfolio of content than ever before, and the FA Cup seems like a very timely acquisition now,” the source said.
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When approached by road.cc, a TNT Sports spokesperson reiterated that there was “nothing to share at this point” concerning any changes to their fees.
“Obviously news of the transaction is very new so that’s just being worked through right now,” the spokesperson told road.cc.
The spokesperson also revealed that next year’s Winter Olympics in Italy will be made available across all subscription tiers on Discovery+. That means subscribers to Discover’s basic £3.99 a month plan can watch every event from the Games, without having to take out a premium TNT Sports subscription.
Could this Winter Olympics offer pave the way for similar one-off price reductions for big sporting events – like a certain bike race held every July in France?