Admittedly, the mega deal in the media industry did not come about because of the Mountain Bike World Cup. Rather, with the takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, Netflix wants to acquire the famous film studios and the associated film rights. Warner Bros. Discovery also includes the streaming service HBO (with numerous successful in-house productions such as "Game of Thrones" and "The Sopranos") and the news channel CNN.

The television channels are to be spun off into an independent company - and with them the Mountain Bike World Cup. Warner Bros. Discovery has secured the rights to the Mountain Bike World Cup and is likely to be spun off following the Netflix takeover. According to its own statements, Netflix appears to have no interest in sports broadcasting. However, the question of who this division will be sold to and how the new company will be structured is of great importance for mountain biking. This is a major source of uncertainty for the Mountain Bike World Cup, even if the contract with the UCI still runs until 2030.

Not to be forgotten: The European and American antitrust authorities will also have a say in this deal. Nothing is in the bag yet - but the UCI, the racing teams and the sponsors should switch on their sensors for possible significant changes.