First-week Tour viewership declines
Average television viewership for the first nine stages of the Tour de France declined slightly across six key European markets, according to an analysis by Daam van Reeth, a professor of economics at KU Leuven who focuses on television audience trends in sports, particularly pro cycling.
Van Reeth's analysis, posted on his LinkedIn account, notes a 9% bump in viewership in Spain (likely due to the Catalan Grand Depart) and a 6% boost in France (possibly the Paul Seixas effect). But elsewhere numbers are down: -7% in Germany despite Florian Lipowitz's solid ride, and -13%, 19%, and 22% in the Netherlands, Italy and Flanders respectively. That adds up to a -4% trend in viewer numbers across all those markets, against average viewership totals from 2021-2025.
