Breaking Away: Versus' Ratings, Viewership Up For Tour Of California

Versus wrapped up its coverage of the fourth annual Amgen Tour of California last Sunday, offering live coverage of all stages of the race for the first time. For the nine live telecasts this year, the net averaged a 0.24 cable rating with 255,000 viewers. Last year, the net carried only three live telecasts of the race, which averaged a 0.21 cable rating with 229,000 viewers. With the addition of Team Astana cyclist Lance Armstrong to the race this year, interest spiked for the first telecast, the race's prologue, as viewership jumped 117.3% from 139,000 viewers last year. The final stage also saw increased interest this year, up 8.8% from last year as fellow Team Astana cyclist Levi Leipheimer won the event for the third straight year. The chart below details stage-by-stage Nielsen ratings and viewership for the '09 Amgen Tour of Califronia on Versus (Austin Karp, THE DAILY).

NOTE: All ratings and viewership are live+same-day.