Menu
Fantasy cycling

TNT Sports & Eurosport: building year-round cycling engagement

Client
TNT SportsEurosport
Sector
Media company
Since
2026
01

Overview

For TNT Sports and Eurosport, being the home of cycling means giving fans reasons to return throughout the racing season. Their extensive broadcast rights provide the coverage. Cycling Challenge adds a way to participate.

The project began with Warner Bros. Discovery, now part of Skydance. Commissioned by our close partner Engagecraft, Fan Arena designed and built the complete platform for TNT Sports in the UK and Eurosport across European markets.

The ambition is to make fantasy cycling a recurring part of the audience experience, following the calendar from the spring Classics to the Grand Tours and beyond.

  • TNT Sports Cycling Challenge campaign visual, three riders on the podium and the centre rider in yellow with both thumbs up
  • Eurosport Cycling Challenge campaign visual, the same podium under the Eurosport wordmark on a dark blue ground
02

Challenge

The objective was to deepen the relationship with an audience already watching and reading about cycling: encourage more frequent visits, activate registered users and maintain engagement between races.

That required a platform that could grow across the season and serve two established sports brands. TNT Sports and Eurosport each needed an experience that felt familiar to their audience, in their own branding and languages, using their existing accounts.

The game also needed enough sporting depth to reward cycling knowledge and give fans meaningful decisions to make as each race unfolded.

03

Solution

Fan Arena built Cycling Challenge, a free fantasy game in which fans assemble a squad within a virtual budget. Before each stage, they select their starters and team leader, with transfers on rest days allowing them to adapt their squad. Private leagues let friends compete alongside the overall rankings.

Eurosport's editorial experts contribute the rider prices, bringing their knowledge of the peloton directly into the game.

One platform serves both brands. TNT Sports users see TNT Sports branding, while Eurosport users receive the Eurosport experience. The game is available in English, French, Spanish, German, Italian and Dutch. Shared leaderboards bring the audiences together, while the platform also supports country rankings and other competition formats.

Fan Arena implemented SSO for both TNT Sports and Eurosport, allowing fans to participate with their existing accounts.

The first test came during the 2026 Giro d'Italia, with a closed beta for Warner Bros. Discovery employees and selected testers. Their feedback helped refine the interface before the public launch at the Tour de France. The core game concept was established early; testing focused on improving how people used it.

Development continues through weekly meetings with all stakeholders, creating a regular opportunity to review feedback, agree priorities and improve the product.

  • Eurosport Cycling Challenge squad in French for the Barcelona time trial, with Vingegaard selected at 14 million
  • Cycling Challenge stage standings during the Giro d'Italia, with starters, points and finishing positions
04

Success

Cycling Challenge has attracted thousands of players since opening to the public at the 2026 Tour de France. The game continued at La Vuelta, extending participation to another Grand Tour.

The launch established a shared fantasy cycling platform across two brands, with their own identities, languages and login systems.

The next ambition is to expand across the races for which TNT Sports and Eurosport hold broadcast rights, including the Grand Tours and spring Classics. Closer integration with editorial coverage is also part of that development, connecting the game more closely with how fans follow the sport throughout the season.

More client stories

All clients →

Turn Your Sports Audience Into Active Players

Talk to us