The WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series boasts numbers without giving exact audience figures

The 2024 season has been the second since Warner Bros. Discovery and the UCI joined forces to boost the relevance of mountain biking. And now the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series presents the year's figures to boast of great success and growth.

UCI MTB World Cup boasts a successful and growing 2024 season

From the organization, they have just issued a statement affirming that the second season of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series has established itself as a milestone in mountain biking, achieving record television audience figures and growth in all aspects.

And they accompany this statement with surprising data such as an increase of half a million viewers per round compared to 2023. Additionally, they point out that the entire World Cup was broadcast on platforms such as Eurosport, discovery+, TNT Sports, and Max, expanding its reach to 76 countries.

The only problem with these figures is that they do not provide specific audience data and we cannot compare them with the previous period when races were broadcast for free by Red Bull. Information that could verify whether the absolute reach is greater or less when transitioning from a free model to a paid one, although it would not be surprising if the loss of viewers had been as significant as when MotoGP or Formula 1 made the same model change.

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What is indisputable is that technological advances in broadcasts have exponentially increased the quality of the transmissions.

134 races and 44 winners

From April to October, the World Cup occupied 15 race weekends in 16 venues in 10 countries in Europe and America. Six of these locations made their debut on the calendar, attracting the best cyclists from 58 nations in disciplines such as Cross-country, Enduro, and Downhill. During these months, 134 UCI World Cup races were held, totaling 3,860 km of competition, 114 cyclists stood on the podium, and there were 44 winners in UCI World Cup events.

Increase in fans at the circuits

The report points out that 365,500 fans attended the events in person and rated the quality of the races with an impressive 9.1 out of 10. In addition, the World Cup's social media reached fans from 160 countries, generating 230 million impressions, 23% more than the previous year. And the videos achieved 162 million views, a 133% increase compared to 2023.

Big changes for 2025

As we have been anticipating, in 2025 there will be further changes and the biggest reform of the competition since its inception will come into effect.

Chris Ball, Vice President of Cycling Events at WBD Sports Europe, stated: "The second season has been extraordinary, with exciting new venues, innovative technology, and unforgettable races. We are excited for the changes that will come in 2025 as we continue to elevate this sport to new heights."