From French Niche Event To Global Phenomenon

Live streaming and broadcasting technology have revolutionized how fans can follow professional cycling events, such as the Tour de France. Where once getting live coverage of this multi-stage race was challenging, today’s technology enables viewers to watch every moment, no matter where they are in the world.

Beginnings: 1948-1967

The first live television broadcast from the Tour de France was in 1948, when the arrival at the velodrome of Parc des Princes was broadcast live. Previously, images of

the Tour de France had only been shown on cinema newsreels, usually up to a week after the action took place. This cycling premiere was largely symbolic, though: only a few thousand Parisians were able to see the broadcast, and the images were so fuzzy that it was hard to distinguish any riders.

The positive reactions to the 1948 live transmission of the Tour de France prompted French television to introduce a news program in 1949. The first-ever French television news program was broadcast on June 29, 1949, a day before the start of that year’s Tour de France. News programs aired three times weekly just for the duration of the Tour de France and consisted primarily of roughly fifteen minutes of footage from the previous day’s stage. Tour de France news programs grew in popularity in the 1950s, but live coverage remained rare. Since images still had to be shot with a fixed camera, the length of the TV cables used at the time limited the opportunities for such live broadcasts.

In 1958, broadcasters began filming the Tour from cars for the first time, followed by cameramen on motorcycles for the first time in 1962. Finally in 1963 daily live filming of every stage began.

Phase II: 1968-1991 The Product Gets Better

In 1968 live television broadcasts extended beyond France to the rest of Europe via the Eurovision network. Then in 1971 broadcasters began experimenting with color TV. By 1974 the entire Tour would be broadcast in color.

As the Tour continued into the 1980’s the broadcast expanded to more countries outside Europe including the United States and Japan. And in 1990 the Tour witnessed the first broadcast of a stage live from start to finish.

Phase III: 1992-2025 Globalization Of An Upscale Product

In 1992 for the first time aerial coverage shot from an airplane was used. Then in 2007 video images shot with high definition cameras really enhanced the viewer experience. In 2013 drones would be used to film landmarks and landscapes along the Tour de France route. And in 2014 for the first time race organizers would allow competitors to ride with small, bike-mounted video cameras to give viewers a birds-eye view of the race. Finally In 2017 all Tour de France stages would be broadcast live from start to finish.

Today: Every Moment Of Every Stage

So where once getting live coverage of this multi-day/ multi-stage event was very difficult, today technology allows viewers to watch every moment of every stage–no matter where they are in the world.

And it’s not just the multitude of cameras covering the Tour on the ground and in the air–it’s data.

On-Bike Sensors

In addition to cameras mounted on riders’ bikes, there are also onboard sensors. These sensors produce real-time data on things like: speed, heart rate and power output. This opens up new perspectives for viewers further inviting them into the race experience. The live data also helps the race commentators better analyze rider tactics and performance.

Helicopter and Motorcycle Cameras

Aerial camera coverage of the Tour has long been an important part of the viewer experience. Live helicopter shots using gyro-stabilized cameras accomplish this well. In addition though, the use of cameras on stealthy motorbikes weaving in amongst the peloton have become a key source of live footage and provide exciting new images and perspectives.

Broadcasting From Team Cars

Outfitting team cars and buses with cameras has also become standard practice at every Tour. This allows for live interviews with team directors and inside perspectives on how teams are responding in real time to events on the road. This access to team communications further enhances storytelling opportunities for broadcasters.

A Complex Network Of Transmitters

Today, the Tour de France offers uninterrupted live video coverage of stage races often covering over 100 miles. This can only be accomplished with a network of wireless video transmitters along each racecourse, relaying live footage back to a production hub. On-bike cameras have transmitters that send signals to nearby motorbikes. In turn, relay helicopters transmit video back to fixed receivers stationed along a given route. And it all collectively enables wider broadcasting of the event.

Mission Control Creates The Finished Product

Once the live video, data, and audio have been transmitted back to the host broadcaster’s studio production truck, dozens of video and audio technicians piece together the live broadcast by quickly switching between different video feeds and graphics. This mobile studio has all the capabilities of a full TV production control room to create packaged highlight segments and live interviews!

From the mobile studio, the live broadcast is distributed simultaneously via satellite links and online streams to TV networks all over the globe. Online live streaming allows any viewer with an internet connection anywhere in the world to tune in via their device. Platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and cycling websites carry the stream live for their digital audiences.

Even TikTok has emerged as an important digital channel for events like the Tour. Julien Groupi, Media and Partnerships Director at the Amateur Sports Organization, recently stated: “The uniqueness of the content offered by TikTok is a perfect match for the Tour de France’s ambition: to make the event known everywhere, to everyone, and with the spontaneous and creative eye of fans. The content created at the roadside will enhance existing coverage and bring the public together around the event even more widely.”

A Media Phenomenon

Innovations in video technology, wireless transmission, and broadcasting over the past seventy years have changed the Tour into an event followed by primarily french cycling enthusiasts and purists to a global media event. The 2024 Tour de France reached over 150 million viewers in Europe alone, with a total of 700 million hours of live television watched across the continent. Globally, the race was broadcast in 190 countries on 100 channels, and total viewing hours exceeded one billion, according to Cyclingnews.com.