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NBCSN'S TOUR DE FRANCE COVERAGE POSTS BEST VIEWERSHIP SINCE 2010 AS RACE HEADS INTO FINAL FIVE STAGES
"The race now enters the Alps having lost none of the pre-race favorites, and all is possible for a surprise over the very difficult remaining four days in the mountains." - NBCSN Race Announcer Phil Liggett
Adult 18-49 Demo Up 18%; San Francisco & San Diego Top Local Market Ratings
38 Million Live Streaming Minutes on NBC Sports Live Extra - Up 42%; More Than 1.9 Million VOD Highlights Streamed on NBCSports.com
All Remaining Stages Live on NBCSN plus Nightly Tour Primetime Show
Exclusive Features Available on NBC Sports Tour de France Live App
STAMFORD, Conn. - July 21, 2015 - With only five stages remaining in the world's most prestigious and grueling cycling race, NBC Sports Group's exclusive, live coverage of the 102nd Tour de France has garnered large viewership increases across all platforms.
Through Stage 15 this past Sunday, NBCSN has posted the best viewership for its live morning telecasts since 2010 (the last year Lance Armstrong rode in the Tour de France), averaging 336,000 viewers - up 18% compared to the same time frame last year (284,000). In the Adult 18-49 demographic, NBCSN's live morning viewership is up 18% from last year (105,000 vs. 89,000). San Francisco leads local market ratings for the Tour de France on NBCSN (top 15 markets below).
Through the first 15 stages, cycling fans have streamed more than 38 million minutes of live Tour de France action on NBC Sports Live Extra, an increase of 42% from 2014. A total of 129,000 unique users have streamed live race action -- up 61% from last year. In addition, more than 1.9 million video highlights of the 2015 Tour have been watched. NBC Sports Tour de France Live, which includes two premium-subscription products - one for desktop and one for mobile and tablet - has grown 21% in subscribers year-over-year.
The road to Sunday's final stage finish on Champs élysées in Paris, continues tomorrow, July 22, at 8 a.m. ET on NBCSN and the NBC Sports Tour de France Live mobile app with Stage 17: Digne-les-Bains to Pra Loup.
Coverage continues each night with the Tour Primetime show featuring a look at the day's most compelling action with new analysis, interviews, and updates. Coverage culminates with the final stage this Sunday, July 26, at 10 a.m. ET on NBCSN.
American Tejay van Garderen (BMC Racing Team) is in third place - three minutes, 32 seconds behind leader and 2013 Tour de France winner Chris Froome (Team Sky) of the U.K. Nairo Quintana (Movistar Team) is in second place (three minutes, 10 seconds behind Froome).
PHIL LIGGETT ON THE 102ND TOUR DE FRANCE
NBCSN race announcer Phil Liggett on the first 16 stages of the Tour: "This has been a very exciting Tour de France and very unpredictable, except perhaps for the domination of Chris Froome and his Sky team. Never before has a Tour lost two leaders in the first week, when both Fabian Cancellara and Tony Martin retired from their injuries. The achievements of the first African registered team, MTM-Qhubeka, has been a fairy tale since the start."
Liggett on what to expect for the remainder of the Tour: "The race now enters the Alps having lost none of the pre-race favorites, and all is possible for a surprise over the very difficult remaining four days in the mountains. Froome must go out as a favorite, but the challenge will certainly come from Nairo Quintana. Alberto Contador is perhaps a little too far behind to achieve the double of the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France in the same year, but he will fight for a podium in Paris along with Aspen's Tejay van Garderen."
TOP LOCAL MARKETS FOR 2015 TOUR DE FRANCE (through Stage 16)
1. San Francisco
2. San Diego
3. Albuquerque
4. Dayton
5. Denver
5. Indianapolis
7. Seattle
8. Fort Myers
8. Charlotte
8. Sacramento
11. Boston
11. Detroit
11. Kansas City
14. West Palm Beach
15. Milwaukee
COMMENTATORS
Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen, the voices of cycling, call the race action for the live shows with reporters Steve Schlanger, Jenna Corrado, and Steve Porino ('inside-the-race'). Todd Harris hosts nightly studio coverage with analyst Bob Roll, and former professional cyclists and analysts Christian Vande Velde and Jens Voigt, in his Tour de France debut for NBC Sports Group. Voigt, who won the Critérium International a record-tying five times and has two Tour de France stage wins, broke the sport's hour-record (51.115km in 60 minutes) last year before announcing his retirement from professional cycling.
PRODUCTION HIGHLIGHTS
For the first time, NBC Sports Group's coverage includes real time speeds of both the leaders and the peloton, daily clips from cameras mounted to competitors' bikes to take the viewer 'Inside the Peloton,' and additional maps that show more detailed versions of the finishes and each mountain climb. "I Was There" videos, which tell behind-the-scenes stories from a fan's perspective, are also incorporated into the Tour telecasts.
NBCSN is utilizing several production enhancements, including a pointer feature which easily identifies and focuses on one rider in the peloton; exclusive, in-depth profiles and features on teams and riders; and an onscreen predicted time for the peloton riders who are trying to catch the leading riders. 'Inside-the-Race' correspondent Porino reports from aboard a motorcycle on the course, and offer updates on race situations.
DIGITAL COVERAGE
NBC SPORTS TOUR DE FRANCE LIVE: NBC Sports Group surrounds its linear coverage with extensive digital coverage, including two premium-subscription products, one for desktops, and one for mobile devices and tablets.
On NBCSports.com, NBC Sports Tour de France Live for desktops offers live streaming video with a multi-camera option of every stage online in full HD, with the ability to pause, rewind and slow-mo the video. While watching live coverage, viewers also have access to a live GPS tracking map to follow the riders' progress and to see an enhanced interactive map for each stage. Also, subscribers can personalize their Tour experience by choosing their favorite riders and teams to track throughout the Tour.
To experience the Tour de France on-the-go, fans can also purchase the NBC Sports Tour de France Live mobile and tablet app, which is available for iPhone and iPad, as well as Android devices. All features of the NBC Sports Tour de France Live online experience for desktops will be mirrored in the NBC Sports Tour de France Live app, including live video of every stage. The app is sold separately from the online product.
Additional elements available to cycling fans at NBCSports.com and through the app, are listed below:
· Live streaming video with multi-camera options
· Full stage video replays including highlights, stage recaps, and rider interviews
· Route and stage previews, course and stage maps, elevation profiles, and stage descriptions
· GPS Race Tracking displayed on interactive maps and rider profiles
· Live stage results and detailed standings
· Rider profiles by country and team
· Real time commentary feeds from media covering the Tour
· Display of every rider group and time gap on the road
· Live time trial results for every split and finish line
· Rider biometric information and analysis
· A Tour de France Twitter stream that will feature tweets from top race officials, riders, analysts, and fans
A desktop subscription to NBC Sports Group's enhanced digital coverage of the Tour de France is available for $19.99, and a mobile subscription is available for $9.99. The app is available to purchase at http://tourdefrance.nbcsports.com/, and on the iTunes App Store and Google Play. Daily stage passes are available for $4.99.
BROKEN SPOKES - BEHIND THE TOUR WITH STEVE SCHLANGER: Throughout the Tour, NBCSports.com features daily, online-only, video features entitled Broken Spokes: Behind the Tour with Steve Schlanger. Tour de France reporter Schlanger takes viewers behind-the-scenes of what it takes to cover the grueling, 21-stage race including the beauty of the French countryside, the passionate fans, and the knee-deep mountain mud.
NBC Sports Live Extra will stream Tour de France coverage on NBCSN via "TV Everywhere," giving consumers additional value for their subscription service, and making high quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans can keep up with the Tour de France through NBC Sports Group's social media platforms throughout the race, including exclusive behind-the-scenes photos, interviews, video clips, up-to-date news reports and stories from around the cycling world through the NBC Sports Cycling Facebook page and @NBCSNCycling on Twitter.
Telecast Schedule (subject to change, all times ET):
Date Time (ET) Coverage Network
Wed., July 22 8 a.m. - Noon Stage 17: Digne-les-Bains to Pra Loup (LIVE) NBCSN
Wed., July 22 8 - 11 p.m. Stage 17: Digne-les-Bains to Pra Loup NBCSN
Thurs., July 23 8 a.m. - Noon Stage 18: Gap to Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne (LIVE) NBCSN
Thurs., July 23 8 - 11 p.m. Stage 18: Gap to Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne NBCSN
Fri., July 24 7 a.m. - Noon Stage 19: Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne to La Toussuire (LIVE) NBCSN
Fri., July 24 8 - 11 p.m. Stage 19: Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne to La Toussuire NBCSN
Sat., July 25 7 - 11:30 a.m. Stage 20: Modane to Alpe d'Huez (LIVE) NBCSN
Sun., July 26 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Stage 21: S�vres to Paris (LIVE) NBCSN
Sun., July 26 3 - 4:30 p.m. Stage 21: S�vres to Paris NBC
Sun., July 26 8 - 11 p.m. Stage 21: S�vres to Paris NBCSN
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