Monument Cycling TV launches new streaming service for ‘the best of British bike racing’

Cyclist
Monument Cycling TV launches new streaming service for ‘the best of British bike racing’

The rebirth of British racing continues with the announcement of a new streaming service set to cover the biggest races in the British domestic scene. After years of hazy domestic coverage, Monument Cycling TV sets its eyes on delivering ‘a sustainable British pro cycling scene where fans can enjoy the coverage that pro cycling in the UK deserves’.

Similar to the GCN+ subscription of old, Monument Cycling TV will offer extended highlights, expert analysis, exclusive content as well as live broadcasting of races such as the Lincoln and Otley Grands Prix.

The new platform promises ‘24/7 access to live coverage, analysis, extended highlights and exclusive content’ for its subscribers. ‘This is passionate cycling coverage, built by real fans of pro cycling for fans of pro cycling,’ Monument Cycling says in its launch video.

Released on Thursday 2nd May via Instagram, Monument Cycling TV will bring an integrated platform for all things cycling on the UK’s domestic scene. In line with the platform’s mission ‘to make cycling the most engaging, accessible, and inclusive free-to-attend sport in the UK’, this new streaming service will allow domestic cycling to turn a crucial page.

Live broadcasting of the UK racing scene

Monument Cycling TV will broadcast the final hour of the races included in their package. Yes, the new service will only cover the final hour of racing, not full gun-to-tape coverage. A post-race show and extended highlights will also be available to watch after the race.

The team behind the service is also aiming to ‘provide fresh and engaging content regularly, typically released on a weekly basis’. 

The new platform will spring into action on 12th May for the men’s and women’s Lincoln Grand Prix. The full streaming schedule for the 2024 season on Monument Cycling TV is as follows:

Subscriptions for ‘the price of a coffee‘

In the launch video released on Instagram, the subscription was billed as ‘the price of a coffee per month’.

There are two tiers of subscription: standard and premium. The standard membership comes in at £4.49 per month. This grants you access to the highlights, expert analysis and exclusive content. The premium subscription is a £5.99 per month commitment. Premium subscribers will be able to watch the racing live on the platform.

There are also year-long plans available for £39.99 and £49.99 respectively. This saves around 30% over a year’s worth of monthly membership payments.

‘Help create a sustainable British pro cycling scene‘

Sustainability is at the core of the new Monument Cycling project. Profits from subscription fees are ‘put back into helping the British pro cycling scene’. Importantly, the service hopes that ‘athletes and staff can make a living competing here in the UK’.

‘We fund highlights for the National Road Series entirely from our own pocket to help support riders, teams, and organisers to build a sustainable racing scene in the UK,’ the Monument Cycling website describes. 

This is an important element to this new phase of domestic racing. The British scene has long been marred by tight wallets and turbulent team timelines. Riders at this level face great difficulties in making cycling a full-time living. With fewer British teams at the UCI ProTeam level since the beginning of the 2010s, sustainability and financial aid will be a big step towards making the domestic scene a more prosperous platform for all.

Fully committed to sustainability and sporting inclusivity, Monument Cycling will also organise their own race, the Cambridge Criterium, this August Bank Holiday weekend.

A game changer for British racing

Since the pandemic, the domestic scene in the UK has struggled to return to full speed. A decade ago, a healthy calendar of local races and criteriums allowed British teams a chance to race almost every week at the national level. These races were sometimes broadcast onto free-to-air TV.

Since the pandemic, however, the sport has suffered large financial cutbacks. The racing calendar has been gutted, and the race broadcasts took a more amateur approach through in-house streaming on YouTube.

The domestic scene has been crying out for an existential re-think. The blue-sky thinking behind Monument Cycling TV could be the electric shock needed to help the British scene return to its former glory days.

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