Warner Bros. Discovery Sports will co-produce coverage of the Tour de France

Warner Bros. Discovery Sports (WBDS) will co-produce coverage of the men’s and women’s Tour de France for the first time.

The men’s competition of the Tour de France runs from July 1st to 24th, while the women’s competition runs from July 24th to 31st. WBDS will broadcast live every phase of the men’s competition and the first edition of the women’s competition.

Former Tour de France winners Alberto Contador and Sir Bradley Wiggins will report for the channel, along with former professional cyclist Iris Slappendel, while WBDS will also offer local studio shows and post-stage shows in a variety of European countries including the UK, France and Denmark.

Experts include Robbie McEwen; Jacky Durand and Steve Chainel will also provide voices for the production, while Orla Chennaoui will moderate UK and Ireland coverage.

WBDS will use its Cube studio, a mixed reality studio with “analytics capabilities and real-time immersive video enhancement sites.” This year, the Cube will also include an “inclinometer” feature to show the inclines cyclists are facing, as well as time trial setup and staggering via Unreal Engine 5 technology

“Our Cube studio is one of the best storytelling innovations in broadcast and the use of bespoke tools and additional analytics to single out a specific stage, climb or sprint finish is truly unique to cycling,” said Scott Young, SVP Content and Production at Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe.

“It is extremely important to continue to promote women’s sport and to do more to achieve gender balance in the events we present. Showcasing more women’s sports and giving equal consideration to women’s and men’s events during our coverage of the tennis grand slams and the Olympics, including capturing all the moments from last summer’s first gender-equal games, is just the beginning. When ASO created the Tour de France Femmes, we were determined to bring the best of our production innovation and expertise to both tours.”

Iris Slappendel, Eurosport GCN Cycling Expert, added: “Women’s cycling is only going from strength to strength and 2022 marks a historic year as the world’s best riders will compete for the yellow jersey in the first new-look Tour de France Femmes. It’s incredibly exciting to be part of the Warner Bros. Discovery Sports team and to be back on the bike following the riders to bring viewers even closer to the action. I look forward to showcasing the sport at its best, which will hopefully catch the attention of a whole new generation of women’s cycling fans to further increase interest and participation in the sport.”