In Germany, the start of the women's stage race was held with manageable odds: The eight stages of the Tour de France Femmes generated a market share of 1.1 per cent on Eurosport with an average reach of 110,000 viewers. In total, almost 2.3 million different viewers watched the Tour de France Femmes on Eurosport (net reach). This is a good figure for Eurosport in women's cycling. The viewing figures for the eight women's World Tour races in the spring were only 46,000 viewers on average.
The Women's Tour de France on ARD One
The ARD special-interest channel One achieved Stage 8 230,000 viewers and a market share of 1.6 per cent, the best figure of the tour. On average, there were 178,000 viewers and 1.7 per cent. Compared to the results of the European Women's Football Championship, however, these figures are manageable: 17.8 million viewers watched the European Championship final between England and Germany - a market share of 64.8 per cent.
The TV ratings for the Tour de France Femmes in France show that more is possible for women's cycling with an optimal broadcasting slot: an average of 2.25 million viewers watched the stages on France 2 and France 3. Just like the men's Tour de France, the women's race was broadcast by France Télévisions. The decisive 8th stage achieved an astonishing market share of up to 45.6 per cent with up to 5.1 million viewers.
Kristian Bauer
Editor
