Alan Marangoni and Giorgio Brambilla set to head up new channel dedicated to pro racing as GCN Italia itself surpasses 170,000 fans
1 September 2020 – Bath, UK: The Play Sports Group (PSG) is excited to announce the launch of its 13th channel, GCN Italia Racing. Starting immediately, this dedicated Italian language channel will offer viewers a unique blend of racing news and insights, hosted by ex-pro GCN Italia presenters Alan Marangoni and Giorgio Brambilla. GCN Italia Racing will become PSG's second Italian language channel, operating alongside the enormously successful GCN Italia – a channel that has reached 119,000 subscribers, released over 467 videos and amassed a social media following of more than 170,000 fans since its launch in January 2019.
The new channel's weekly GCN Italia Racing show, aired on Mondays, will offer cycling fans a dedicated analysis of racing from a uniquely GCN Italia perspective. Episodes will review the weekend's races and look ahead to the coming week with a strong focus on homegrown riders (and fans). In addition to the weekly Monday broadcast, the channel will also showcase the pros' bikes, offer deep-dive race previews and 'ask the pros' Q&As, with up to three videos per week.
The first race to be covered by GCN Italia Racing presenters Alan and Giorgio is of course the Tour de France. 'Ask the pros' Q&As will feature in the channel's opening week, with pro riders including: Alberto Bettiol, Elia Viviani, Matteo Trentin, Michael Matthews, Annemiek van Vleuten, Fausto Masnada, Enrico Gasparotto, Nathan Haas, Simone Petilli, Simone Consonni, Dario Cataldo, Davide Cimolai, Attilio Viviani and Edoardo Affini. Tadej Pogačar's Colnago V3RS pro bike will also make an appearance.
Alan Marangoni, lead presenter of GCN Italia and GCN Italia Racing said: "Racing is finally back – and now it has a new home in Italy. Bike racing is part of GCN's DNA so we've always had aspirations to launch a dedicated pro racing channel for our Italian followers. The channel will offer pro-cycling's biggest fans a unique insight into the world of riders; their lives, their training, their bikes and in-depth analysis of pro racing, starting with the Tour de France.
"GCN Italia Racing has come about after so many requests from our followers for more racing content. Now, coupled with GCN's new Race Pass subscription service for uninterrupted live and on-demand coverage of men's and women's racing, our fans have access to the ultimate pro cycling experience. I can't wait to begin presenting GCN Italia Racing!"
About GCN Race Pass
Cycling fans can now access unrivalled live, uninterrupted and on-demand race coverage with the premium subscription-based service GCN Race Pass, accessed via the GCN app. Available in seven languages, including Italian and English, Race Pass gives fans a localised and interactive viewing experience. GCN Race Pass content is viewable with a smartphone, tablet or on web and can also be watched on larger devices via Chromecast and Apple AirPlay.
About Play Sports Group (PSG)
Play Sports Group (PSG) is the world's leading digital sports media company focused solely on cycling and tri-sports. Combining a deep love of the sport with peerless expertise in video and digital distribution, PSG has built a leadership position in the market, with more than 2.7bn lifetime views, over 100 million monthly video views to a total of 5.2 million subscribers. PSG's existing twelve channels have amassed 9.4 million social followers, with over 1bn video views in the past 12 months. These channels include Global Cycling Network (GCN), Global Mountain Bike Network (GMBN) and Global Triathlon Network (GTN), along with a growing number of non-English language channels; GCN en Español, GCN Italia, GCN Japan, GCN auf Deutsch and GCN en Français. PSG channel presenters are engaging, knowledgeable former professional riders of the highest level who connect with fans, and with world class athletes, teams and races to bring their audiences to the heart of the professional sport with unmatched authenticity.
Headquartered in Bath, UK, PSG is also home to SHIFT Active Media, the award-winning international cycling media agency, who work alongside some of the biggest, most high profile brands in the cycling world. Play Sports Group is a subsidiary of Discovery Inc.
For more information about the Play Sports Network visit www.playsportsnetwork.com.
In January 2019, it was announced that Discovery Inc, owner of Eurosport, had acquired a majority stake in Play Sports Group. A global leader in real-life entertainment, Discovery enjoys an extensive portfolio of brands and direct-to-consumer platforms that power people's passions and super serve global communities of fans and enthusiasts.
