TNT claims early Tour de France audience gains
July 14, 2026 12.04 Europe/London By Julian Clover


(Photo by Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
TNT Sports says UK viewing for its first exclusive live coverage of the Tour de France is running ahead of last year’s figures, following the first nine stages of the race.

According to Warner Bros. Discovery, TNT Sports’ TV reach for stages 1-9 was up 41% compared with 2025, when live UK coverage was still available on ITV. The average live audience on TNT Sports 1 rose by 55%.

Streaming has also increased following the migration of TNT Sports’ UK streaming offer to HBO Max. WBD said unique viewing subscribers were up 22% compared with last year’s Tour on discovery+, with video views rising 26% and hours watched up 28%.

The figures come in the first year of WBD’s exclusive live UK rights to the Tour de France, ending ITV’s long-running free-to-air live coverage after the 2025 race. Broadband TV News previously reported that Channel 5 would carry free-to-air highlights of the race, under an agreement designed to retain wider access for UK viewers.

Channel 5’s daily hour-long Tour de France highlights programme, which airs at 19.00, is averaging more than 500,000 viewers.

Across Europe, WBD reported a 21% increase for its premium TV coverage on Eurosport and an 11% rise in streaming viewing on HBO Max, putting the UK ahead of the wider European trend.

TNT Sports is carrying each stage live in full on TNT Sports 1, with live and on-demand coverage on HBO Max. Eurosport continues to show the race across WBD’s European markets.