Max streaming service to replace GCN+ for US cycling fans

US cycling fans will be able to watch racing next year on Max, Warner Bros. Discovery's (WBD) streaming platform in the US, from February, it was announced on Thursday.

Races including the Giro d'Italia, the UCI Track Champions League, and the UCI Mountain Bike World Series will be broadcast on Max, inline with the B/R Sports Add-On on the channel.

The announcement follows the news that the GCN+ app and platform were set to close as the brand's parent company, WBD, has decided to reduce its number of streaming services. The last day of GCN+ will be 19 December.

The GCN website and YouTube channels will continue to run.

Initially, the situation was unclear, with fans in North America told that a solution was coming, but now - as long as fans are up to subscribing to a different platform - there is an answer.

The press release states: "Live cycling coverage on Max will include more than 300 of the world’s biggest racing events, including the prestigious Giro d’Italia, all race weekends of the UCI Mountain Bike World Series, all rounds of the UCI Track Champions League, 53 Women’s WorldTour  broadcasts, the E3 Saxo Bank Classic, Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne, and more. 

"All in, Max will be the one to watch for U.S. cycling fans, offering more live cycling event coverage throughout the year than any other streaming service."

Subscription to Max costs $9.99 a month with ads, or $15.99 without, with $99.99 or $149.99 bundles also available if you pay for a whole year.

Subscribers will also have access to The Breakaway, the Eurosport-produced pre and post-race coverage which is shown in the UK and across Europe. A Max subscription also includes "premium live sports content such as the MLB, NHL, NBA, NCAA Men’s March Madness, U.S. Soccer, 24 Hours of Le Mans and a variety of non-live sports programming to appeal to every fan".

Fans will have to use different streaming services for different races.

There's FloBikes, which will be known to many consumers across North America, which shows a lot of cycling, but not all. It costs US$149.99/CAN$150 a year or US$29.99/CAN$29.99 per month.

It has the rights to the UCI World Cup and X2O cyclo-cross events this winter, and the Tour Down Under and AlUla Tour at the beginning of 2024, but not everything.

Meanwhile, NBC and its streaming service PeacockTV has the US rights to some of the other biggest races, like the Tour de France, although it is not comprehensive.