While this year’s Tour de France didn’t see a US rider fighting for the yellow jersey as had been expected, figures released for the Versus network nevertheless showed a strong level of viewership for the race.
An average of 466,000 watched the event over the course of the 21 stages, with this number reaching a peak on the mountain stage to Morzine-Avoriaz. 724,000 people tuned in to see seven-time Tour winner Lance Armstrong crash heavily, fight back to the bunch but then lose considerable time, thus missing out on the chance to chase another Maillot Jaune.
With other US contenders such as Christian Vande Velde crashing out earlier on, Tyler Farrar also withdrawing and riders like Levi Leipheimer not hitting their best form, audience numbers dropped off from that one-day peak.
However, the overall average of 466,000 was still considerably higher than the numbers achieved between 2006 and 2008. As an example the 2006 Tour, which was won by Floyd Landis but then went to Oscar Pereiro after Landis was disqualified for doping, attracted an average of 310,000 viewers. Some 343,000 tuned in during the 2007 event, where Alberto Contador, Cadel Evans and Leipheimer took the top three places. The figures dropped to 268,000 in 2008.
Last year’s Tour saw a stronger US challenge with Armstrong’s return and podium place plus good performances by Vande Velde and Farrar increasing interest. That ensured that an average of 530,000 viewers tuned in. This year, Chris Horner was the best US rider in tenth overall.
According to Mediaweek, Versus enjoyed a large increase in ad sales revenue. Trek, Specialized and Cervélo were involved, along with Fizik, Easton Wheels, Clean Bottles, Camelbak and Headsweats, as were non-cycling brands such as Nissan, General Motors and Anheuser-Busch InBev. It said that is was expected that the number would be considerably higher than the estimated $9.5 million achieved in sponsorship last year.
The was an increase in web traffic to Versus.com, with the number of pages per visit growing 12 percent since 2009, and readers spending six percent more time on the site.
Overall, the 2010 Tour appears to have been a lucrative one for the network.
Versus has a reputation in cycling for coverage that is focused largely on Armstrong. While this has ensured short-term gains, the challenge for the network now is to ensure that it is able to retain viewers for next year’s event. The Texan will not be taking part in the 2011 race.