The Problem with Peacock

Cycling fans in the United States are gearing up for the Tour de France. Across the pond from cycling’s majority-European fanbase, the options for broadcasts remain limited. How does Peacock’s Tour de France coverage stack up to the other offerings out there? And what does it need to do to continue to grow and support cycling fandom among American viewers?

Ask the average American if they’re watching the Tour de France this year, and they might look at you like you’ve grown a second head.

After all, cycling doesn’t have the popularity in the U.S. that it does in many other countries around the world, particularly in Europe. The Tour de France, despite being the biggest cycling event of the year, isn’t a common topic around the workplace water cooler. However, the US still brings a significant number of viewers to the Tour de France thanks to the mainstream broadcast coverage provided by NBC.

According to ASO, the average Tour de France stage pulls in around 2 million viewers… and 400,000 of those are from the United States. It’s pretty impressive that 20% of the audience is American. However, the numbers still pale in comparison to other sporting events like the Masters golf tournament (nearly 20 million viewers for the final round) or the Super Bowl. While the Tour de France may not have the clout of some of these other sporting events, it showcases the room available to grow.

A big component of growth is accessibility, and cycling broadcasts are not very accessible in the U.S. The cycling superfans in the states are still mourning the loss of GCN+, the most reliable and complete cycling broadcast outlet in many years, and the current broadcast landscape for one-day and stage races is currently split across multiple broadcasters. FloBikes holds broadcast licenses for several recent stage races, such as the Tour de Suisse. Max (formerly HBO) is another player, continuing to expand their cycling broadcasts under their B-R Sports label. Finally, NBC hosts race broadcasts (including the Tour de France and other ASO properties) on the Peacock streaming service. For the average cycling fan, this means confusion over where to watch a given race and a significant monetary investment in multiple streaming services over the course of the cycling season.

Creating a cycling fan community, one viewer at a time.

There is a silver lining. The Tour de France remains accessible even for those who aren’t cycling fans. Broadcast information starts popping up on Peacock at the end of June, directing potential viewers to the site’s Tour de France “hub.” This year, NBC will also show stages and highlights on free, over-the-air TV via the NBC channel as well as streaming. Both of these options will work for the everyman who wants to watch a stage of the Tour, or someone who never watched cycling before turning on the broadcast out of curiosity. That is an important step in making cycling more popular among American viewers overall.

Read more: Check out our complete guide for brand-new Tour de France viewers, So You Want to Watch the Tour de France For the First Time?

But what about for pre-existing cycling fans? Does Peacock’s Tour de France coverage do its job to help to recruit new viewers while appeasing cycling fans? Let’s take a look at some of the best aspects of of NBC’s coverage, as well as some that might have its viewership turning off the TV.

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Peacock’s coverage of the Tour de France: pros and cons.

Hands down, the best part of Peacock’s coverage is the ability to see lengthy coverage of each and every stage. NBC begins their Tour de France coverage around 6:30 AM EST every day, including on weekdays. For the average American, it’s a little bit unrealistic to expect excitement for watching ANY sport at that time of day. But for the cycling fans, it may be worth tuning in first thing in the morning, and Peacock gives you that option. NBC also appears to be returning to the afternoon highlights show format at 2 PM EST on their over-the-air main NBC channel. This is a great step for getting cycling in the public eye.

What about the cost? For those who won’t just watch the limited offerings on free NBC, the Peacock subscription is reasonably priced. If you aren’t a pre-existing customer, you can likely get a special offer, and even current subscribers are sometimes eligible for these deals. This article outlines some of the current pricing deals available for Peacock. In addition to the Tour de France, Peacock also broadcasts other ASO races like the Criterium du Dauphine, as well as the Vuelta a España, which will be coming up after the Tour. Outside of cycling, the service offers other NBC-broadcast sporting events (like the Olympics) as well as some popular TV shows and movies. This is by no means a plug for Peacock! However, even folks who prefer to limit their streaming services may find the pricing realistic enough to subscribe for a few months over the Tour-Vuelta period.

On Peacock, Tour de France commentary is led by Phil Liggett and Bob Roll. This ends up as a mixed bag for most stages, although there are some gems in there. Although Phil’s getting up there in age (he announced his retirement from Olympics coverage last year) and his cycling knowledge isn’t quite what it once was, his enthusiasm for the sport remains clear. Bob is also a charismatic personality in the booth, although he tends to focus on minutiae and specific riders rather than calling the action. Christian Vande Velde, who supports Bob for commentary on some of the other races on the calendar, will spend the Tour on the moto this year. Although opinions vary, these commentators neither make nor break Peacock’s Tour coverage.

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You might be thinking, “Well, that doesn’t sound too bad! What’s the catch?” The first problem you’ll notice is the density of commercials. Anyone who watched the Olympics coverage on Peacock in 2024 may have noticed how frequently commercial breaks seem to come on the platform. In fact, they feel even more frequent than the old USA channel coverage, which was already pretty densely packed with ads. However, considering that Peacock removed their commercial-free Tour de France option starting in 2024, these ads feel like more of a problem than ever.

Other problems with Peacock’s Tour de France coverage are a bit more subtle, but no less important.

Removal of the “world feed” caused an uproar in 2024.

For several years, Tour de France viewers in the US enjoyed Peacock’s “World Feed,” supplied by ASO as a pared-down broadcast of the race. Each stage was covered by Anthony McCrossan and Nico Roche, who provided a pleasantly low-key and information-driven commentary experience. The different was notable compared to Phil and Bob, who cater more closely to the mainstream viewer. Most importantly, the World Feed was entirely commercial free, meaning that viewers could watch each stage uninterrupted by yet another commercial for The Feed or Zwift.

However, the World Feed got the axe for 2024 and 2025. CyclingScoop reached out to Peacock via social media before the 2024 Tour start. Unfortunately, the customer service rep did not give a concrete answer for why the World Feed was going away — instead, they simply confirmed that it was, and that other options were available for watching the Tour on Peacock.

It makes sense that NBC wants to drive viewers to the primary broadcast and minimize confusion for first-time or casual viewers. However, there’s no clear reason why they couldn’t have retained the World Feed hidden away somewhere in their expansive Tour de France hub.

Peacock’s answer wasn’t acceptable to many cycling fans across the internet, and for good reason. The World Feed was one last bastion of the type of broadcast you get for smaller European races. In fact, it felt a lot like watching the Tour de France on Eurosport or GCN+, an option that wasn’t readily available to US viewers due to broadcast restrictions. Still, it was the next best thing. Its disappearance left many US viewers looking for other options with a bad taste in their mouth about NBC and Peacock. The unofficial and unorganized boycott of Peacock covering in 2024 no doubt put a small dent Peacock’s viewership numbers, especially on weekday stages that may not garner as much mainstream or casual interest.

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Promoting Lance Armstrong should raise some eyebrows.

NBC/Peacock’s biggest recent blunder: continuing to platform Lance Armstrong as a part of their coverage.

Last year, the platform announced that Armstrong’s podcast The Move would be available early to Peacock subscribers. However, for 2025 they appear to have upgraded him to an entire “post-race show” co-hosted with George Hincapie. We don’t know yet how this show will be served to Tour de France viewers or how prominently featured it will appear in Peacock’s Tour de France hub.

However, it goes without saying: Armstrong shouldn’t have a place in American cycling broadcasts, coverage, or fandom.

Recently, Hincapie announced that he was starting a cycling team that would be a “renaissance for American cycling.” A primary goal for the team would be to go to the Tour de France within 5 years. But what does that renaissance look like when we put it side by side with Peacock highlighting Armstrong and The Move? Is it a renaissance that will continue to feature Lance Armstrong on mainstream NBC coverage. Will he be involved with this team, or other aspects of the professional sport? If so, that doesn’t seem like the renaissance that most American cycling fans want. Time remains to tell what will happen with regards to Armstrong, Hincapie, and their continued involvement with NBC and Peacock.

Read more: Learn about the complex history of cycling with 9 Books to Read Before 2025’s Tour de France

While this snafu does not bode well for the ethical context of US cycling, it does reflect some interest in expanding cycling coverage in new directions. Peacock’s Tour de France hub is already full with tons of content, but can feature even more material that draws in curious viewers and entertains existing fans alike. Podcasts and additional highlights shows would all be fantastic for the growth of the sport. Some of the other offerings are already decent, such as the “Beyond the Podium” analysis videos (check out one of them below). Featuring Armstrong is not the right way to approach it, but the intent is there for a more positive direction in the coming years.

Closing thoughts.

Through it all, I remain a fan of Peacock’s coverage. At the same time, I acknowledge its interplay with the experience of being a cycling fan in the U.S. How does cycling coverage so intimately affect the fan experience? Here, I’ve made distinctions between casual viewers and cycling fans. Those differences hold up even in the way the two groups prefer to see broadcasts. Someone who watches a few stages a year will approach Peacock’s Tour de France coverage in a much different way than someone who watches every race on the calendar. Is there really any way to make these both of these audiences happy with the coverage provided?

At the end of the day, the problem with Peacock isn’t the coverage. It’s the intent and need to reach both casual and involved audiences, a task which is bigger than it looks from an outside perspective. Peacock makes mistakes, but it’s not too late to change direction. Once they figure out how to convert the cycling curious to fans and retain their viewership, we’ll see more enthusiasm for the Tour de France than ever before.

As an American fan, I don’t need to build any more excitement for the Tour. But I’m dreaming of the day we can all have it all.

Read more: Want to relieve some great memories from last year? Check out 22 Photos (and Stories) from the 2024 Tour de France

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Will you watch the Tour de France on Peacock this year? Let us know in the comments or reach out on social media! ★