France Télévisions has revealed that 23.2 million people in France watched at least one minute of the 2026 Tour de France Femmes, representing 51% of the viewership of the men’s race, while its live broadcasts secured a record 32.9% average audience share.
The fifth edition, held from August 1 to 9 and won by Demi Vollering (FDJ United-Suez), received at least two hours and 30 minutes of live coverage on France 2 each day. Audience share measures the proportion of people watching television at the time.
The largest audience came during Friday’s stage over Mont Ventoux, when it reached 5.1 million, according to figures released by France Télévisions - as reported by Le Monde.
The women’s race approached the men’s Tour’s average television share, although the comparison is not exact. The men’s event averaged 35.1% across France 2 and France 3 and reached 45.6 million French viewers for at least one minute. Its broadcasts also covered longer sections of each stage, while streaming and pay-TV services continue to change Tour viewing across Europe.
Full-stage coverage remains disputed
The audience figures give supporters of start-to-finish broadcasting more evidence for expanding the women’s race coverage. Reports based on France Télévisions’ data said only one of the nine stages was shown in full, despite every daily broadcast lasting at least two and a half hours.
France’s sports minister Marina Ferrari gave a different figure during an ICI Drôme Ardèche interview on August 7. Ferrari said all nine stages were televised in some form and four were broadcast from start to finish. Which territories these were shown in, and how available these full broadcasts were to global audiences isn’t clear.
Ferrari described the Tour de France Femmes as a young competition whose economic model was still developing. The 2026 edition was the longest held so far, covering more than 1,175km and visiting Mont Ventoux for the first time.
“I think that in the years to come, the Tour de France Femmes will very certainly be broadcast in its entirety,” Ferrari said. She also said her long-term preference was for women’s racing to be shown in the same way as the men’s event.
Vollering wrapped up the race by taking the 99.2km closing stage around Nice, a route that featured the Col d’Eze four times and a total of 2,100 metres of climbing. On the stage she ended more than one minute clear of her closest challengers, and she took the general classification by 1:18, becoming the first rider to win two Tour de France Femmes titles.
The finish also prompted further discussion about the race’s television access. “What we are seeking today is full broadcasting,” Ferrari said. “I know that discussions are under way on the subject, and so I can only encourage the discussions currently taking place.”
Cover image credit: Gaetan Flamme
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