Play Sports Group launches French-language cycling channel

The Play Sports Group (PSG) has launched its twelfth channel, GCN en Français, a dedicated French-language service dedicated to road cycling.

The new offering will feature the Global Cycling Network (GCN)’s content created in French in an effort to attract French-speaking viewers from across the world.

The output will include How-To videos, race footage and access to tech and teams. It will be fronted by retired professional cyclists Loïc Chetout and Florian Chabbal, who together have over a decade of pro cycling and cycling media experience.

Chetout said: “Cycling allowed me to become the person that I am today, to have a heart, guts, to honour each of my commitments and to constantly exceed my limits. I have lived things that few people will have the opportunity to live and to know…I met some amazing people…what’s more fun and glorifying than learning about life through a passion? I am excited to start a new chapter in my life that still gives me an opportunity to be around the sport I love, sharing my passion and experience but also having a chance to learn.”

GCN en Français will collaborate with PSG’s channels and Eurosport to deliver the content.

Simon Wear, found and chief executive of Play Sports Group, said: “For many years we have had a loyal following for GCN in France, I am delighted that we are now able to serve this growing community properly with a whole channel in French language, a bespoke channel, dedicated to the needs of the French-speaking cycling community.

“We have two fantastic presenters in Loïc and Florian and we are so pleased to welcome them to our company, we are really looking forward to seeing both Loïc and Florian in action, bringing their own special insights, ideas, characters and style to the new channel”.

The launch of GCN en Français follows on from the launch of GCN auf Deutsch and just over one year on from the announcement, in January 2019, that Discovery, owner of Eurosport, had acquired a majority stake in Play Sports Group.

GCN’s global offering includes channels in English (launched 2013), Spanish (2018), Italian (2018), Japanese (2019) and German (2020).