BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
September’s Tour of Britain was watched by more TV viewers, rising 17 per cent for the ITV4 highlights.
On average over 483,000 viewers tuned in for the highlights of the pro cycle race, compared to 2010’s average reach of 401,000 in 2010.
Online traffic to the official tourofbritain.co.uk site rose too – with over 2.49 million page views during the eight day tour, approaching 300,000 unique users. The Twitter feed was popular too – ensnaring its 10,000th follower during this year’s event.
The biggest audience tuned in to Stage Three (covering Stoke-on-Trent), with 592,000 viewers watching Lars Boom take victory.
Internationally, the Tour was watched in Australia on SBS, Sky New Zealand, and across sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, plus six European channels in Belgium, Italy, Ireland, Norway and Turkey. The in US, Cycling.TV broadcast highlights to an online audience.
“The confirmation of our best ever viewing figures is the affirmation of what has undoubtedly been the best ever edition of The Tour,” said SweetSpot Group chief exec Hugh Roberts. “Coming off the back of similarly excellent viewing figures for The Halfords Tour Series on ITV4, and the success of the Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana on the same channel, it shows the increasing mass market appeal that professional cycling has in Britain.
“Work is already well underway on the 2012 Tour of Britain, which we are determined to once again take to the highest possible levels. Coming just a month after the conclusion of the Olympics, interest in The Tour will be higher once again and we are sure that the huge crowds will once again be at the roadside for Britain’s largest free-to-attend sporting event.”
The 2012 ToB will take place between Sunday September 9th to Sunday 16th. The new route will be revealed in the spring.
For more statistics on the cycle watching TV audience, click here.
