Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), the media and entertainment giant, has posted record streaming figures for its coverage of the 2023 Tour de France (TdF), road cycling’s flagship event.

The company reported that unique video viewers grew by 12% year-on-year (YoY) across all platforms.

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The increase was driven by the Discovery+ streaming service which enjoyed a 36% rise in viewers across its live and on-demand coverage of the TdF in 10 markets, including Germany and Austria which streamed every stage of the race for the first time in 2023.

Pan-European sports broadcaster Eurosport generated record numbers in terms of video views for its TdF content online. Video consumption rose by almost half (45% YoY) while unique visitors to Eurosport’s local language sites across Europe increased by almost a quarter (23% YoY).

Eurosport’s television coverage also grew by 3% YoY. The 2023 race was a record edition for viewership on Eurosport in Spain and the second best in France following 2022.   

This year’s TdF, which concluded last Sunday (July 23), was won by Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard who retained the yellow jersey following his first win last year.

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Domestically, France Télévisions, the public-service broadcaster, attracted a record audience of 42.5 million for the iconic race. An additional 3.7 million viewers tuned in on Eurosport, which held pay-TV rights.

WBD holds rights to the TdF in over 50 European markets, while coverage of the race on Discovery+ was also made available in the following territories: Denmark, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, the UK, and Ireland. 

The most recent rights deal between Eurosport and the Tour's organizers came in early 2020 and runs through the 2025 edition.

WBD is currently broadcasting every stage of the women’s Tour de France Femmes across Europe via Discovery+ and Eurosport’s channels and platforms.

Following the first three stages, total streaming audiences are up 5% YoY, including Discovery+ which has increased by 40%, and Eurosport’s television audience reach has risen by 18% compared to the first edition of the race held last year.

Image: Jean Catuffe/Getty Images