The Tour de France has gotten off to its best start in a half-decade.
Live coverage of the Tour de France averaged 311,000 viewers on NBCSN through Friday, up 16% from the comparable point last year (267K) and the highest average for the first week of the event since Lance Armstrong last participated in 2010. Viewership has increased at a higher rate among adults 18-49, rising 31% to 98,000.
The top telecast of the first week was Stage 4 coverage last Tuesday, which drew 353,000. The least watched was Stage 1 coverage on July 4 (254K).
The solid start did not carry into Saturday’s Stage 8 coverage on the NBC broadcast network. That telecast had a 0.8 overnight rating, down a tick from last year and 2013 (0.9 both years).
(This year’s numbers from NBC Sports Group Press Box, Sports Business Daily; additional info from Sports TV Ratings)
