TV deal boost for organisers of UCI World Track Championships
A local television station agrees to air the city’s first-ever cycling world event for free, making it easier to attract commercial sponsorship to cover costs
Organisers of April’s UCI World Track Championships are upbeat they will secure at least HK$7 million in commercial sponsorship after a local television station agreed to air Hong Kong’s first-ever cycling world event for free.
Chairman of the Hong Kong Cycling Association Leung Hung-tak said they only received the good news on Friday after making repeated requests to the International Cycling Union to allow for free TV coverage.
“We need free television to cover the event as this is a prerequisite made by many of our potential sponsors because they want to promote their products to a bigger audience,” said Leung. “But the UCI wanted the television station to pay a huge broadcasting fee. That’s why we had to write to them [UCI] to express our concern.
Leung said they had budgeted HK$15 million for the April 12-16 event to be held at the Hong Kong velodrome in Tseung Kwan O. They would need to raise half of that sum as the remaining money will come from a dollar-for-dollar matching funds from the government’s Major Sports Event Fund. He said commercial sponsors would have been scared off if there wasn’t free TV coverage of the event.
“Discussions with the potential sponsors have just started or will start soon but now they know there will be offered free television coverage, chances of attracting commercial sponsorship will be much higher,” said Leung.