Women’s Tour de France, in its current edition, has only lasted for four seasons, since it was founded in 2022. It grew, from eight to nine stages, it got harder, more competitive, and viewers are responding: in France, it broke records, significatively increasing from last years. According to France TV, the race, that ran between July 26 and August 3, had a total collective audience of 25.7 million across linear TV (France 2 and France 3) and digital platform france.tv.
The public broadcaster produced more than 25 hours of content, with an average audience of 2.7 million per stage, an increase of more than half a million from last year. That accounted for 31.6% of audience share.
Things grew in the final stage last Sunday, when it gew to 4.4 million viewers in average (with a peak of 7.7 million), accounting for 41.2% share. And all those millions were happy when Pauline Ferrand-Prévot from Visma Lease a Bike won the stage and Tour, becoming the first French (woman or man) to win a Tour de France, a result that will likely keep interest high in the years to come, even if Ferrand-Prévot doubts she will try it again next year.
Abroad, Tour de France Femmes reached 190 countries. In Spain, it received daily coverage on the public sport channel Teledeporte, although, unlike men’s Tour, it did not reach the mainstream channels. However, in the United Kingdom it was relegated to paywall on TNT Sports. Next year, men’s Tour de France will also be relegated to paid channels, which worries many cycling lovers in the country.
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