The Tour de France 2023 begins on the 1st of July, and so we can expect to be glued to our screens for the first stages in just a few short weeks.
In the era of online streaming, watching Le Tour can be something of a minefield of subscription plans, broadcasting rights, and workarounds.
So we’ve put together a comprehensive guide to how to watch Tour de France 2023, so you can spend less time fiddling with the remote, and more time watching.
In this quick and easy guide, we’ll be covering:
- How To Watch Tour de France 2023: USA
- How To Watch Tour de France 2023: United Kingdom
- How To Watch Tour de France 2023: Canada
- How To Watch Tour de France 2023: France
- How To Watch Tour de France 2023: Rest Of Europe
- How To Watch Tour de France 2023: Australia
- How To Watch Tour de France 2023: New Zealand
- How To Watch Tour de France 2023: Rest of World
Without further ado, let’s get into coverage of the 2023 Tour de France.
- For an in-depth insight on last year’s action check out Tour de France: Unchained steaming from the 8th of June on Netflix.
How To Watch Tour de France 2023: USA
Unlike other Grand Tours such as the Giro d’Italia, rights to broadcasting Le Tour are held exclusively by NBC in the US.
This means Le Tour will be broadcast on NBC Sports, the NBC-owned USA Network.
For those looking to stream Le Tour to a Smart TV or personal device, they’ll need to do so with Peacock, NBC’s online streaming platform.
Currently, the plan is for Peacock to become the exclusive home of Le Tour from 2024 onwards. So American cycling fans may consider subscribing to the service for next year, which is $4.99 USD/month.
Peacock is a strictly US-based streaming platform, meaning those outside of the US would need to make use of a VPN to access the service, though this shouldn’t be necessary as there are options for those around the world – which we’ll get into.
How To Watch Tour de France 2023: United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, Le Tour is broadcast by ITV. Live, daily coverage will be shown on ITV4.
All ITV channels are free for anyone in the UK with a TV license.
ITV Hub is offered free to anyone inside the UK with a TV license.
Eurosport is available as an add-on package for BT Sport, Sky Sports, Virgin Media, and Amazon Prime Video, and is included with a Discovery+ subscription.
The Global Cycling Network’s own online coverage of Le Tour is available via GCN+ for compatible Smart TVs and devices in the UK. Subscription costs £6.99/month or £39.99/year.
All of these options include live coverage, meaning moment-by-moment access to all 21 stages.
How To Watch Tour de France 2023: Canada
If you’re based in Canada, like me, you won’t be able to watch the Tour on network TV.
Instead, the 2023 Tour is being broadcast online in Canada, through FloSports.
FloSports will be providing coverage of the 2023 Tour through their subscription FloPRO, which can be streamed to compatible Smart TVs and devices and costs $149.99 USD/year (roughly $200 CAD), billed annually.
FloPRO is available in the US and Canada. However, NBC’s exclusive US broadcasting rights mean FloSports will be providing coverage of the 2023 Tour de France in Canada only.
How To Watch Tour de France 2023: France
At home, Le Tour will be broadcast on France Télévisions, France’s national broadcasting service, as well as on Eurosport’s local broadcasting channels.
Online, those watching from France can stream Le Tour via France TV, which streams French TV channels within France.
Alternatively, Le Tour will be streamed online in France and the rest of Europe via Eurosport. Subscription is available as an add-on for Amazon Prime Instant Video, or directly through Eurosport Player.
How To Watch Tour de France 2023: Rest of Europe
Eurosport is available throughout most of Europe and a few other areas of the world.
There are also local broadcasting options those watching from Europe can consider:
- Spain: RTVE
- Germany: ARD
- Italy: RAI
- Belgium: Sporza or RTBF
As well as other local channels, check the Tour’s official list of broadcasters here.
How To Watch Tour de France 2023: Australia
In Australia, coverage of the Tour de France 2023 will be provided by the Australian SBS.
SBS is broadcast for free within Australia, and its online equivalent SBS On Demand is also free for those within Australia.
How To Watch Tour de France 2023: New Zealand
From New Zealand, you can watch the 2023 Tour via Sky Sports.
Sky Sports costs $37.99 NZ/month and can be broadcast to your TV, or streamed to compatible Smart TVs and devices.
How To Watch Tour de France 2023: Rest of World
First, we’d recommend you check Le Tour’s website for the official list of broadcasters for coverage in your own country or region.
If you’re not able to access any of these channels, consider using a VPN.
VPNs allow you to browse the internet from other areas of the world to where you currently are, meaning you could access streaming services available in other countries.
VPNs are perfectly legal in almost all countries in the world, (although we’d urge you to double check your own local rules and legislation around VPNs), and are usually available at a reasonable monthly rate of roughly $5-10 USD/month.
Using a VPN you can access a number of subscription services mentioned in this article, including Peacock, FloSports, Eurosport, GCN+, and Sky Sports.
Whilst VPNs are legal, streaming platforms attempt to prevent users from accessing their content using them, where possible.
This means VPN-based workarounds are often blocked off, and we’d recommend ensuring your chosen VPN will allow you to access your chosen streaming platform, before spending money on either.
Finding a reliable and legitimate way to watch is hardly the most exciting question about the upcoming Tour de France, but it is an important one!
However you choose to watch this year, expect a thrilling head to head as Jonas Vingegaard, Tadej Pogačar, and the rest battle for the Maillot Jaune.
NBC commentator Sam Bewley knows a lot but as an on air speaker is not so great. Talks way too fast. Cannot really hear what he says unless you watch his mouth. Not good. Coach him or take him out.