Discovery to Become Triathlon’s New Home in Europe

June 9, 2021

Inaugural Collins Cup secures unprecedented multi-platform live coverage across Europe through partnership with Discovery

The Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) and Discovery have agreed a partnership that will see The Collins Cup screened exclusively across Europe through Eurosport, Discovery’s leading multi-sport brand.

The Collins Cup is the PTO’s inaugural flagship event taking place on 28th August in Šamorín, near Bratislava, Slovakia and is a new race format modelled after the Ryder Cup, which will see teams of International, European and USA athletes pitted against one another and put on display the excitement, rivalry, drama and personalities of the sport of triathlon.

As part of the one-yeardeal, with an option to extend for a further two years, Eurosport will show the race action, live and on-demand,in 20 languages. Core coverage, including shoulder programming, will span acrossEurosport 1 and 2, and via the Eurosport App and discovery+*, with a two-partdocumentary available to stream via discovery+. The entire Collins Cup broadcast of over 7 hours will air live on Eurosport 2 and simulcast live on the Eurosport App, with highlights aired on Eurosport 1 the following day. The Collins Cup has also secured highlights and live coverage via Eurosport across Asia Pacific with highlights distribution in India.

Significant shoulder programming, including two Collins Cup countdown shows, will be aired across the Eurosport App to preview the biggest stories and key battles ahead of the live event. Two days before the live racing takes place, viewers will be able to stream the Collins Cup draft show live from Šamorínwhere Team Captains will pick athletes for each individual match up.

discovery+ will also offer streaming access to PTO’s Beyond Human documentary produced by Noah Media Group, which follows the journeys of three of the biggest names in the sport -Lionel Sanders (Team Internationals), Sebastien Kienle (Team Europe) and Heather Jackson (Team USA) in their quest to see who rules triathlon.

Scott Young, SVP Content and Production at Eurosport, said: “With the PTO’s commitment to, and investment in, the highest production standards and athlete storytelling combined with Eurosport’s deep sports expertise, we will create a unique narrative and unlock the true power of the sport of triathlon for all to enjoy. Our commitment to this event will ensure you see every live moment of the event across our platforms. Through discovery+, we are increasingly focussed on the crossover between sport and real-life entertainment and our partnership with the PTO will mean we can showcase some of the most compelling stories to the widest possible audience.” 

Tim Godfrey, Chief Marketing Officer at PTO, said: “The PTO’s mission has always been to put the greatest triathletes in the world on display. The Collins Cup is a first-of-its-kind global competition which will see teams of Europe, International and USA, comprising some of the world’s best athletes, competing head-to-head to determine which region dominates the sport of triathlon. The Collins Cup is poised to be the most exciting and innovative format for endurance sports and Discovery is perfectly suited to showcasing this across its network engaging not only triathlon fans but general sports fans who crave the rivalries that will be put on display when the best athletes in the world enter the arena to do battle for the Collins Cup.”

Discovery and Eurosport will tell the stories of elite triathlon all year round. In the build-up to the Collins Cup, as the Home of the Olympics in Europe, Discovery and Eurosport will bring every unmissable moment from the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 to viewers across Europe**, including live and uninterrupted coverage of the men’s and women’s triathlon, and the new triathlon mixed relay.

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*In markets where Eurosport is available via discovery+

**Excluding Russia

Press Contacts

PTO, Collins Cup

Jane Hansom
E: Jane.Hansom@protriathletes.org
M:+44 7703 481 478

Discovery, Eurosport:

Dan Stead
E: Daniel_Stead@Discovery.com
M:+44 7557 972 084

About the Professional Triathletes Organisation:

The Professional Triathletes Organisation is a not-for-profit entity consisting of both men and women professional triathletes who have come together to form a representative body which not only gives them a meaningful voice in the way the sport operates but a means to contribute to its growth for the benefit of the entire triathlon community. The PTO seeks to showcase the passion, talents, determination, struggles and achievements of its dedicated professionals through iconic events, reimagined broadcast and compelling storytelling, inspiring global sports fans to watch, engage and participate in Triathlon. The PTO’s inaugural flagship event, The Collins Cup, will be held on 28th August 2021 in Samorin, Slovakia and will be a head-to-head showdown between the world’s greatest athletes to determine who rules triathlon. Sign up here for updates.

About Eurosport:

Eurosport is the number one sport destination in Europe, unlocking the power of sport through localised content from the world’s greatest sporting events. As the Home of the Olympic Games in Europe, Discovery is bringing Eurosport to discovery+, the real-life direct-to-consumer streaming service, starting in a range of international markets during 2021. Firmly established as the Home of Cycling, Grand Slam Tennis and Winter Sport, Eurosport channels – Eurosport 1, Eurosport 2 – reach 246 million cumulative subscribers across 75 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Eurosport.com is Europe’s No 1 online sports news website with an average of 30 million unique users per month. Eurosport Events specializes in the management and promotion of international sporting events. More information is available by visiting corporate.eurosport.com.

About discovery+:

discovery+ is the definitive non-fiction, real-life subscription streaming service. discovery+ will launch with a landmark partnership with Verizon that gives their customers with select plans up to 12 months of discovery+ on Verizon. At launch in the United States, discovery+ will have the largest-ever content offering of any new streaming service, featuring a wide range of exclusive, original series across popular, passion verticals in which Discovery brands have a strong leadership position, including lifestyle and relationships; home and food; true crime; paranormal; adventure and natural history; as well as science, tech and the environment and a slate of high-quality documentaries. For more, visit discoveryplus.com.