Tour De France Draws More Than 27 Million Viewers On France TV Over First Week

The Tour de France drew more than 27 million viewers to France 2 and France 3 over its first week, according to Thierry Wojciak of CB NEWS. The first nine stages of the race drew an average of 3.3 million viewers, translating to a 33.2% market share. On Sunday, an average of 5.65 million viewers watched the Nantua-Chambéry ninth stage, with a peak audience of 7 million watching the sprint finish. On the internet, the francetvsport app streamed the Tour and registered a 148% increase on video views compared to the '16 Tour's first week, with 16.8 million views, according to France TV. Also broadcast on Eurosport, the Tour de France is the third-most watched sporting event in the world, drawing 3 billion viewers across all networks, behind the Summer Olympics and the FIFA World Cup. France Télévisions pays €20M ($22.8M) per year for the rights to the Tour (CB NEWS, 7/10).