As the summer of 2025 approaches, cycling fans face rising costs associated with watching Grand Tours such as the Tour de France. The UK will see the final free airing of the Tour on ITV4, with future coverage requiring a £31 monthly TNT Sports subscription. This shift reflects a broader trend as cycling moves toward subscription-only services worldwide. Veteran commentator Ned Boulting notes a decline in the casual cycling audience, citing a peak with the 2014 Grand Départ in Yorkshire, leading to ITV's decision not to renew its broadcast rights due to increasing costs.
For 99% of the British public, the Tour de France is the only cycling race that exists, and even that is of secondary importance compared to the Olympics.
The audience peaked with the Grand Départ in 2014...and ever since then it's been in slow decline, while the cost of re-signing the rights has grown much faster.
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