Australia may be a nation where the winter wardrobe is widely highlighted by the striped scarves in the colours of your chosen AFL (Australian Football League) team – and yes, having it on is just about mandatory if you don't want to be a social pariah – but that doesn't mean that a considerable chunk of the population isn't also tuning in for the highlight of the cycling calendar, the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes.
In the nation, which has a population of 28 million, national broadcaster SBS said more than six million tuned in to watch the men's and women's editions of the French Grand Tour, which ran from July 4-26 and August 1-9 and was delivered free to air by a commentary team led by Matthew Keenan, but also including key cycling figures such as Cadel Evans, Caleb Ewan and Grace Brown.
The Total TV reach – a tally of individuals reached for the minimum period of 60 seconds for TV and 15 seconds for Broadcast Video on Demand – for the two races combined was 6.15 million. That was 5.21 million for the 21-stage men's race won by Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and 1.51 million for the 9-stage women's race won by Demi Vollering (FDJ United - SUEZ).
That compares with a Total TV Reach of 5.57 million last year, with 5.19 million for the men's race and 1.8 million for the women's race, according to figures put out by the broadcaster in 2025.
That signifies an increase in the men's race, which overlapped with the FIFA World Cup for two weeks, but a decline in the women's race, which perhaps shouldn't be a surprise, given that in 2025 there was the additional draw of Sarah Gigante. The young Australian was, at one point, threatening to take a podium spot, finished second on the Queen stage and also came sixth overall.
SBS Sport also said its Tour de France third-party platform performance grew by 450%, with 660 million views on SBS Sport social media platforms across both races. That included a 405% increase for the Tour de France and an 812% increase for the Tour de France Femmes.
The SBS report follows news from broadcaster France Télévisions that 23.2 million in France watched at least a minute of the Tour de France Femmes coverage, while 45.6 million viewers watched at least a minute of the men's race.
The viewership numbers come at a time when calls are increasing for the delivery of live coverage across all stages of the women's race – with three broadcast live in 2026 – which would bring it in line with the broadcast of the men's event.
Support our unrivalled coverage of the Tour de France Femmes and women's cycling by subscribing to Cyclingnews. In return, you get unlimited access to high-quality journalism, with breaking news, race analysis, and expert insight from inside the women's peloton. Plus, the Cyclingnews app lets you follow the action wherever you go! Join today.
