Tour de France has been delivering strong audiences to SBS since it began on June 29.
According to SBS its highest national Total TV Reach has been 944,000 viewers for Stage 2.
While Reach may be a contentious figure in ratings reports, it does become more contextully relevant when broadcasts can extend for over 5 hours. When a race finishes as late as 1:45am not everybody makes it to the finish line.
Helping to gauge its success is the broadcasting share SBS is attracting across the event. On Saturday it went above 10 and ABC to give SBS third place for the night at 14.7%. At the moment, Tour de France is helping SBS to double points every night.
Last week, live streaming at SBS On Demand also peaked, with a year-to-date record average audience.
SBS Director of Sport, Ken Shipp said: “Australian cycling fans have clearly been captivated by the action of the 2024 Tour de France and are enthusiastically tuning in to SBS for all the colour and excitement.”
2024 is shaping up to be a massive year for the TDF on the network, he noted.
“This current generation of cyclists competing is the most interesting and colourful so far; more social media-savvy, more crowd-pleasing and more entertaining. There are fewer Aussies competing this year, but viewing is continuing to grow. The Tour de France is really coming into its own as a major annual viewing event for Australian sport fans to have on their calendar of must-watch events.
“We’re looking forward to showcasing more of the thrills on the road, wonderful local scenery and cuisine, and of course, the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.”
SBS screens Tour de France until July 21, and the women’s race Tour de France Femmes from August 12 to August 18, post-Olympics.
French-Australian chef Guillaume Brahimi has also returned with Plat du Tour.
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