SBS adds women’s Tour de France broadcast rights to cycling line-up
SBS will broadcast the women’s Tour de France, the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, as part of a significant four-year deal with the owners and organisers of the cycling race, Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO).
SBS is the current rights holder for the Australian coverage of the Tour de France, which is now in its final week for 2021.
Under the agreement, SBS has secured the Australian rights to deliver live, multi-platform coverage (including television and digital) through to 2025 for the women’s competition. The broadcaster announced late last year that it had secured the broadcast rights for the Tour de France until 2030.
The latest deal means SBS will broadcast more than 300 hours of cycling across the network each year going forward. The Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift continues SBS’s commitment to women’s sport including broadcast rights for the WNBA, W Series motor racing, ISU Figure Skating, FIG Gymnastics and the Sportswoman series.
The inaugural Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift is set to be held from 24-31 July 2022 after the conclusion of the men’s Tour de France.
SBS managing director, James Taylor, said: “The Tour de France is one of the most prestigious events in the global sporting calendar, and we’re thrilled that the long-awaited women’s race is finally happening – a massive moment in the history of professional cycling – and that SBS will be the proud home of Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift in Australia.
“This four-year deal is a testament to our enduring and trusted relationship with ASO, and demonstrates SBS’s commitment to being the home of cycling, and bringing Australians the best sport from around the world.”
SBS has in recent years lost a number of key sporting broadcast rights to competitors such as Optus Sports and ViacomCBS. Optus recently picked up football broadcast rights for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023, which will be held in Australia and New Zealand for the first time.
While ViacomCBS has secured the rights to matches played by Australia’s national football teams, the Socceroos and Matildas, to be shown Ten as part of a free-to-air broadcast deal, lasting through to the end of 2024.
Network Ten parent ViacomCBS has also secured the rights to all international matches outside World Cup, including the World Cup qualifiers, and games by Young Socceroos, Westfield Young Matildas, Joeys, and Westfield Junior Matildas, as well as the FFA Cup, and various AFC (The Asian Football Confederation) competitions.
SBS which maintains the rights to the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup also closed down its football-focused offering The World Game earlier this year.
The 2021 Tour de France is on SBS until Sunday 18 July.
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Olivia Kruimel is the managing editor at Mumbrella. She has more than 15 years of experience in journalism, communications and marketing. Her journalism career began at Fairfax Media (now part of Nine) and includes various B2B publications such as B&T, Travel Today and ALB. As a marketer Olivia has worked for Standard Chartered and various global law firms.
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