German free-to-air TV channel RTL "recorded more than 4 million viewers for its broadcast of the Austrian F1 Grand Prix on Sunday," according Björn Sülter of QUOTENMETER. The race drew 4.29 million viewers and had a 27.8% market share starting at 2:05pm. In the target demographic 14-49, Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton's win obtained a 21.6% share as 1.15 million viewers tuned in. German pay-TV network Sky, which also aired the race, attracted 290,000 viewers and a 1.9% share. In the target demo, the race from the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria, recorded a 2.4% share as 130,000 viewers tuned in. Saturday's qualifying session drew 1.87 million viewers (15.5%) on RTL. In the target demo, the session drew 510,000 viewers and an 11.6% share.
TOUR DE FRANCE: German public broadcaster ARD recorded 1.3 million viewers for its broadcast of the second Tour de France stage on Sunday. The number translated into a market share of 8.4%. In the target demo, the stage was watched by 190,000 viewers and had a 3.6%. Pan-European sports broadcaster Eurosport, which also aired the stage, attracted 280,000 viewers, including 90,000 in the target demo. The corresponding market shares were 1.8% and 1.6%, respectively (QUOTENMETER, 7/4). L’ÉQUIPE reported after a “first weekend with great ratings performances on France Télévisions,” the third stage of the Tour de France, broadcast Monday on France 2, drew a smaller audience. An average audience of 2.4 million viewers (28.9% market share) “watched the course from Granville to Angers.” There was a peak audience of 3.7 million “at the time of the final sprint won by England’s Mark Cavendish.” The Tour de France on France TV audience numbers so far: first stage 3 million (27.7% market share); second stage 3.3 million (29.8% market share); third stage 2.4 million (28.9% market share) (L’ÉQUIPE, 7/5).
