FloSports Announces Broadcasting Partnership with Life Time Grand Prix Series
FloSports announced today that it has reached an agreement with Life Time, the company that now owns Sea Otter, to broadcast the new Life Time Grand Prix series, a six-event series in which 60 cyclists will compete in six events for a prize purse of $250,000.
The live broadcasts will start at the first series event, the Fuego XC 80k at the Sea Otter Classic next month. Made up of half gravel and half mountain bike races, the Life Time Grand Prix will include the 200-mile Unbound Gravel, Crushar in the Tushar, the Leadville Trail 100 MTB, and the Chequamegon MTB Festival before finishing in October at Big Sugar Gravel in Bentonville, AR. (Of course, the 60 racers competing in the Grand Prix will be up against the other thousands that sell out events like the Leadville 100.)
This partnership marks an influx of investment to mountain bike broadcasting, also seen recently when Discovery bought the World Cup broadcast rights, and we may see mountain biking garner increasing public interest and support from the sport's new level of exposure.
FloSports already has a long-term partnership with the UCI and broadcasts road events such as Flanders Classics, the Paris-Roubaix, and more. It recently announced it would carry the Tour de France Femmes Avec Zwift exclusively in Canada and recently broadcasted the 2021 Cyclocross World Championships in North America.
 | We’re proud to be the broadcast home of Life Time’s inaugural Grand Prix series and we look forward to accelerating the growth of cycling in the United States. Our partnership with Life Time furthers our commitment to serve the cycling community with premium coverage of thrilling events by promoting the impressive participants set to compete in this series. |
FloSports is a subscription video service that aims to cover "underserved" sports, with sports like cycling, swimming, wrestling, and competitive fitness alongside the mainstream offerings like basketball and baseball in its 300,000-hour video library.
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I got it for easy access to the DH World Champs (which the coverage and commentary where terrible!) last year, then stayed for the Cross season (coverage was excellent!).
Oh the their website is brutal...
The challenge (as if there's only one) is that these shows are hard and expensive to get right. Red Bull poured lots of money and talent into their UCI broadcasts. Discovery certainly has the funds and resources to do the same and make great TV (for which people will pay). I hope they will.
Will FloSports be able to make compelling shows of a quality that works in this crowded field? I certainly hope so. But there's a difference between carrying the global feed of Milan-San Remo and hiring Chris Horner to comment and hiring your own cameras and directors to make a show about Leadville...
Still, for some reason i want a gravel bike
At least the content nobody wanted will be on the platform nobody likes?