Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Sharp) in Milan having secured the Giro d'Italia, the first man from Canada to do so(Image credit: AFP)
Basso won his second Giro in Verona having won the race in 2006(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Giro d'Italia favorites gathered in Milan for the presentation of the race's 2012 route.(Image credit: Riccardo Scanferla)
Each Giro fan has to be able to follow our main event always (live, delay, news access and hihlights), in any possible way (television, online, tablet, mobile, App) and in any geographical area (from the next edition, in more than 173).The Giro is working hard in order to achieve the best balance between exposure on the biggest number of places and platforms (traditional channels such as analog, digital, satellite and new media generation such as web, mobile, tablet, pay per view) and the economic figures that allow the growth and investment of the Giro.
RAI will ensure the best production as Host Broadcaster of the Giro through a specialist international production team and, for the first time, by HD signal. It will make live programs available guaranteeing 3 hours of the Giro live every day, as well as delayed broadcasts, 5 minutes of new access at the finish, 26 minutes of daily highlights and 52 minutes of weekly highlights with expert English journalist commentary. Three stages (19th May - Col du Galibier, 24the May - Val Martello and 25the May - Tre Cime di Lavaredo) will be produced by RAI in full.
Let's have a look at the countries where the Giro will be broadcasted.
EUROPE This is the traditional and main cycling market reference. Eurosport guarantees three hours of live broadcast of the Giro every day in the 70 countries it covers in Europe and in the Asia-Pacific region. The Giro will be visible on satellite, cable and mobile pay TV. ITALY RAI will broadcast the Giro live both on its traditional generalist channels and its digital ones, as well as on its website. Gazzetta.it will broadcast both live coverage – in Italian in specific geographical areas – and deferred coverage, with the addition of a highlights program, which will be broadcast worldwide, also in Italian. In GREAT BRITAIN, where cycling has experienced important growth in the past few years, Sky UK will broadcast the daily highlights. FRANCE. The coverage takes a new direction with the involvement of Al Jazeera’s new channel beIN SPORT, which already screens soccer’s Ligue 1 and the Italian Serie A in France. beIN SPORT has exclusive rights to both races in France and the United States, while Al Jazeera itself will broadcast both events in the Middle East and North Africa. Beside soccer, it has also decided to invest in cycling and, starting from the next Milano-Sanremo, it will be present with its own crew on site. The Giro will be visible live with highlights on cable pay tv. SPAIN. In a country where each region has a popular and strong TV tradition, it was decided to sign an agreement for live broadcast with the FORTA circuit which includes four regional Spain generalist channels: TV3 Catalunya, TVG Galicia, TPA Asturias and EITB in the Basque Country, with a live simulcast on the internet. BELGIUM. There will live coverage on the traditional generalist channel VRT for Flemish supporters. The channel is also the holder of the rights to screen Formula 1 Grand Prix. NETHERLANDS. The traditional generalist channel NOS will broadcast highlights on a daily basis. It holds rights to events such as the UEFA Champions league and rugby’s 6 Nations Championship. SWITZERLAND. SRG SSR will broadcast live on its traditional generalist channel. DENMARK. Tv2, in a country with a cycling tradition, has confirmed live broadcast on the generalist channel after the success of last year’s Giro d’Italia big start.
AMERICAS USA In the United States the agreement with Be In Sport will ensure live broadcast and highlights. CANADA Important agreements with two terrestrial and satellite channels will allow Giro fans to watch live broadcasts, with internet simulcasting, for the first time, on Sportsnet for English-speaking supporters and RDS for French-speaking ones.
LATIN AMERICA ESPN Sur is confirmed in South America as providing live and highlights broadcast on cable, satellite, IPTV and DTT, plus internet simulcasting in all the region as well as live coverage on ESPN Brazil on the same platforms. MEXICO. The TeleDeportes Network will transmit live coverage and highlights for viewers in Mexico, Panama, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica and El Salvador.
MIDDLE EAST and AFRICA Several interested countries can be found. Al Jazeera will broadcast live and we have renewed the contract with Super Sport for live broadcast on pay TV channels in the sub-Saharan area; it was decided to interrupt live broadcast after the big victory of Gerald Ciolek of the MTN-QHUBEKA team at the last epic edition of Milano – Sanremo. Super Sport also screens Moto GP in the area.
AUSTRALASIA Eurosport will broadcast live in the Asia Pacific area, while in Japan, J Sports will renew its live broadcast on pay and cable tv. This traditional channel also holds rights to broadcast Premier League soccer and Major League Baseball. SBS will broadcast in Australia with live coverage and stage highlights. It also broadcasts top properties such as the UEFA Champions Leagues and FIFA World Cup. Worth mentioning is the agreement with Channel Six, part of the Sony TV platform which, through a cable platform, will broadcast highlights in India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, the Maldives, Nepal, Bangladesh, Butan and Afghanistan, while the Treu Vision pay satellite platform will broadcast in Thailand. Channel Six is the exclusive rights holder for Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket, among other major sporting events. TrueVisions will cover both events in Thailand.
This year, for the first time, the Giro will be broadcast live on airplanes, thanks to an agreement with Sport 24, the first live global channel created specifically for airlines. This channel aims to bring the very best sport live to passengers around the world. Contents include live coverage from the Barclays Premier League, Bundesliga, Wimbledon, Roland Garros, the Open Championship and much more.
In comparison to the past, the Giro will cover twelve new platforms: six of which are in Europe, three in America and three in Asia, where the deal with Channel Six will guarantee us huge exposure and new viewers. Last but not least, we are trying to finalize the Giro’s visibility in China, which is a key priority country for us given the huge number of potential viewers.
To all our fans: stay in touch with us from May 4th.
Matteo Pastore, Head of Media Rights and Relations
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From Strade Bianche to Lombardia, via the Giro d'Italia, Michele Acquarone and the RCS Sport team will navigate the season with us, bringing Cyclingnews readers behind the scenes, as they discuss the challenges that face race organisers and share their fresh and innovative approaches to cycling.
