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Article published 18/10/2023

Record audience figures

The inaugural UCI Cycling World Championships attracted unprecedented television and digital audiences. The event brought together 13 UCI World Championships in one successful major event. It was held this year in Glasgow and across Scotland.

Globally, more than 200 million hours were watched on television over the 11 days of competition. An increase of 75% compared to the average for a typical year when the various UCI World Championships are organised separately.

Some topline statistics...

130

number of countries the Championships were broadcast to

200 million

hours watched on television globally

Almost 90 million

videos views on social media

A deeper dive into the statistics

Cycling disciplines across the event saw a significant increase in viewers:

  • Road cycling events, which featured stunning footage of Scotland including drone shots of some of our iconic landmarks, broke audience records in many countries and registered an increase of 22.2% of hours viewed compared to previous UCI Road World Championships
  • Track cycling, at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, registered an increase of 162% of hours viewed
  • Over 24 million hours of viewing time was spent on Mountain Bike events in Fort William and Glentress 
  • 15 million hours of the BMX events at Glasgow Green were watched
  • Over two million hours of para-cycling events in Glasgow and Dumfries were viewed, a major increase on previous years when broadcasting has been limited

Key European markets 

The exceptional television audience figures, which can be explained by the unprecedented scale of this inaugural event and by the growing popularity of the various cycling disciplines, were particularly strong in Europe. More than 80 million people tuned in to the event. 

Key visitor markets for Scotland were among the top European TV viewers:

  • In France, 18.2 million viewers watched, with 1.8 million watching the Men Elite road race 
  • 15.5 million watched events across the Championships in Italy 
  • In Germany, broadcaster ZDF attracted an average of 994,000 viewers, with a peak of 1.22 million for the Women Elite road race 

Success on social media

The enormous success of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships was also reflected in the impressive figures recorded on the UCI's various digital platforms. Coverage was available 24/7 for 11 consecutive days. The result was an all-time record of 3,500 posts across 23 separate accounts. Some social media highlights include:

  • 245.2 million impressions – the number of times content appears on a fan's screen
  • 7.2 million engagements – interactions such as likes, comments and shares of content
  • Videos published across the channels were viewed nearly 90 million times
  • By the end, the UCI's community of cycling fans had grown to over 5.1 million followers

 

The 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships was an unparalleled celebration of cycling, and we are delighted that so many fans from around the world watched the event on television, in addition to the estimated one million spectators who lined the roads and filled venues over the 11 days of competition.

The comprehensive coverage of the inaugural UCI Cycling World Championships across 130 countries showed why Glasgow, and Scotland is the perfect stage for major events and we hope that the event has inspired viewers to come and experience all that Scotland has to offer.

Paul Bush OBE, 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships Chair

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