How to Watch the Tour de France
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NBC Sports will broadcast the Tour daily through Peacock Premium and offer full livestream coverage for $4.99 a month, with ad-free coverage for an additional $5 a month.
FuboTV also provides access to NBC’s coverage for $65 a month.
Following last year’s postponement due to COVID-19, the 2021 Tour de France is set to begin on schedule in Brest on Saturday, June 26—so it’s time to start planning how you’re going to watch it.
Whether that means streaming from your phone, starting your morning with the previous day’s highlights, or inviting your friends over for an outdoor, socially-distanced viewing party on an outdoor TV, the options for keeping up with the race are plentiful.
In general, NBC offers the most accessible and affordable (and legal) options for American viewers through its Peacock streaming service for $4.99 a month. (Customers of cable providers like Comcast Xfinity and Cox may be eligible for full access to Peacock Premium at no additional cost.) Almost 400,000 American viewers followed the Tour last year, and every year NBC’s coverage has expanded, most notably with the introduction of a commercial-free full livestream in addition to the daily full-stage coverage on the network’s cable channel.
This year, ad-free coverage is available through Peacock Premium Plus for $9.99 a month. So even those without cable have full access thanks to the network’s digital streaming options.
For the Fanatics
Previously, the annual Cycling Pass on NBC Sports Gold was the best option. For this year’s Tour de France, Cycling Pass coverage is moving to NBC’s Peacock Premium streaming service. Purchase Peacock Premium for $4.99 a month, and you’ll have access to the full Tour as well as other races covered by NBC and its partners, including the Vuelta a España.
The Peacock app is available on Roku, Apple devices, Android and AndroidTV devices, Google platforms, Chromecast, Xbox devices, Playstation 4 and 4 Pro, VIZIO SmartCast TVs, and LG Smart TVs. You can also watch online via the Peacock website. Comcast Xfinity X1 and Flex customers and Cox Contour customers can already access Peacock Premium for free.
On TV
If you have a good cable package and prefer conventional viewing on your television, you’re in luck: NBC Sports will broadcast the Tour every day. It often starts around 7 a.m. ET, so 9-to-5ers will likely need to record and watch later. (Check the full schedule for details.) La Course, the one-day women’s event on Saturday, June 26, will also air on NBC Sports and stream via Peacock Premium.
No Cable? No Problem
If you don’t have cable and want more than what’s offered on the NBC app, a subscription to FuboTV costs $65 per month and gives you full access to NBC’s live coverage of the race. It’s also great for those who love cycling year round, as FuboTV has a full-time cycling channel covering the major Tours, the Classics, some World Championships, and even BMX racing. (It’s also available in Canada.)
Last year, FuboTV introduced a stand-alone cycling pass of its own for $120, for even more pro cycling coverage. It won’t get you the Tour (unless you’re a monthly FuboTV subscriber) but it will get you the Giro and many of the Italian and Flemish Classics such as Milan-Sanremo and the Tour of Flanders. Canadian fans should also consider a subscription to FloBikes, which will be airing all three Grand Tours (including the Tour de France), the Classics, and much, much more.
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