Are there too many chiefs?

Did you see how the Sky trade team was branded at the track worlds? Sky+HD. That tells a little side story to their marketing push.

Sky are desperate to push their HD service as they have spent a bloody fortune rolling out the infrastructure. Yet the take-up has been slow (but is growing). They want existing users to upgrade along with new users coming in.

Are there any sports fans in any of the territories in which Sky operates that aren't already aware of Sky?

I'm sure you are right about why they are doing it just don't think it's a very bright strategy. I don't think they will be buying up any rights any time soon either, and if they do, according to this marketing strategy, it'd be curtains for the team surely?

I can agree with the last sentence

Fact is, there's no point Sky investing in sports they currently cover - so eg for Champions League or FAPL, most of the live coverage is on Sky, no point in them sponsoring that.

So sponsorship instead goes to a sport where they have little or no coverage and gets Sky brand in front of other channels' audiences.

hmm… yeah ASO are pussycats they know very well the value of what they've got. Track cycling is an olympic discipline - the olympics are a listed event so the biggest track races will always be on the beeb. In the unlikely event that the big races weren't on British Eurosport they would be instantly available for free from a wide variety of other sources… they already are. So that leaves stuff like the ToB… the business plan for which relies on as many people as possible eyeballing the race not just for the teams but for all the various health bodies and local authorities that put up the money, stick that on pay per view and it's dead. Which leaves what?

So they've got free advertising to cycling fans watching the BBC or Eurosport of what? The fact that they can't watch cycling on Sky?

I think some marketing types don't know their arse from their elbow.

It still seems odd to me that they are going to be marketing a product that you can't actually watch on Sky - at least not in the UK.

The good thing going for Sky is they are a global brand, and are seriously good at marketing their product. The TdF organisers will value that, and the exposure for their other race sponsors. It might just tip the balance in their favour, even though they have been warned they need to show good early season form.

Cadel going to BMC really has put the cat amongst the pigeons on this.

Will they really not invite BMC and not have the rainbow jersey in the TdF? I doubt it.

Controversial, but I do wonder if Sky might miss out. At the moment they are a good young team but without a true GC contender they look a little light.

I think Columbia would be safe cos they've got Cavendish and the green jersey competition and those first sprinting stages are important for building excitement before the GC competition gets going.

If Astana lose Contador - I could see them being cut, the team without him doesn't look that strong + ASO have got the readymade Vino excuse.

Footon/Fuji… Skil Shimano (sorry Albert) or, without a bigger name, Team Sky? How come you haven't gone for at least the first two of those three?