Search »

Discovery Channel Nixes Cycling Sponsorship

The Discovery Channel will not renew title sponsorship of its pro-cycling team after 2007.

The sponsorship, which covered some of the years of Lance Armstrong’s seven Tour de France victories, will end at the end of the 2007 season, saving Discovery between $10 and $12 million, writes MediaPost.

The change was related to the recent firing of Discovery Networks’ president Billy Campbell and the hiring of new president and CEO David Zaslav from NBC. Bill Stapleton, who runs the cycling team for majority owner Tailwind Sports, told USA Today that the abandonment was about the change in management. “This would not have happened if Billy Campbell was still there.”

The sponsorship of the team helped boost the awareness of the Discovery Channel in Europe, but some executives within the company felt the pricey sponsorship did little to promote Discovery’s programming efforts.

The Discovery Channel pro cycling team is currently holding a “race to replace” Lance Armstrong.