Free-to-air highlights of the Vuelta a España will be shown on 5 in the UK from Saturday, following on from the same practice at this year’s Tour de France.
This is the second Grand Tour to be shown on the terrestrial channel formerly known as Channel 5, as part of a deal signed until 2028. Produced by TNT Sports, and hosted by Rebecca Charlton, the first highlights will be shown at 7:30pm on Saturday 22 August, before they are regularly at 7pm each evening for the rest of the race.
Fellow free-to-air channel ITV previously showed Vuelta a España highlights, along with its live Tour coverage, but those rights were not continued. Live coverage in the UK will remain on TNT Sports and HBO Max, with contracts costing £30.99 a month, although it can be purchased for £25.99 a month on a 12-month contract.
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When the Tour highlights were announced, Charlton said: “It’s an absolute dream to have the opportunity to bring the racing to life for all of the cycling fans out there as well as guiding some new viewers along for the ride. We’ll be bringing highlights of all of the action as well as telling the stories around the racing and I for one, cannot wait!”
TNT Sports will show every stage live, from start to finish, with the regular The Breakaway show alongside it, hosted by Orla Chennaoui, with Adam Blythe and Matt Stephens as pundits.
In the UK, for the Tour, TNT Sports grew its television audience by +58% year-on-year in its first year of live exclusivity, according to Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD).
“After a record-breaking Tour de France that reached and engaged more fans than ever across our platforms, we are proud to bring a monumental Grand Tour season to a fitting conclusion with complete live coverage of La Vuelta a España followed by the UCI Road World Championships,” Scott Young, at WBD EVP Sports Europe, said.
“Covering every brutal climb in the battle for the red jersey in Spain, to every sprint in the race for the iconic rainbow jerseys in Montréal, our passionate on-screen expertise, local storytelling and innovative streaming features on HBO Max will give fans across Europe the most comprehensive way to follow the riders, teams and defining moments as another landmark cycling season reaches its climax.”
The Vuelta begins on Saturday with a 9.4km individual time trial in Monaco, and ends on Sunday 13 September in Granada.
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