Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) is understood to be "exploring" the option of showing free-to-air highlights of the Tour de France in the UK, after ITV lost the rights to showing the French Grand Tour from 2026.
The news of WBD's "exclusivity" deal on Friday morning put the future of free-to-air Tour coverage in doubt; it is now all but confirmed that 2025 will be the last year for ITV's flagship cycling programme. ITV declined to comment.
The Tour is currently shown on ITV4 and Eurosport/Discovery+ in the UK, but the deal means it will now solely be on the latter from 2026, which is a paid-for channel.
There are no concrete plans yet for the coverage of the 2026 Tour de France - and other bike races run by its organiser, ASO - but WBD is thought to be exploring the opportunity for a free-to-air highlights show for the new rights period, which runs until 2030.
What format this would take, however, is unknown as yet, with it surely being a departure from the Tour being shown, at least in a highlights package, on a free channel for the first time since UK Tour coverage began in 1987. Since 2010, every stage has been shown live on ITV4, a free-to-air channel in the UK.
It is thought that ITV had the opportunity to renew its agreement, with ASO's broadcast rights organised through the European Broadcast Union (EBU), but this has not come to pass.
WBD has sub-licensed the rights though the EBU, and the decision in the UK stands in stark contrast with free-to-air coverage renewals announced on Friday in Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Switzerland. The Tour is on French free-to-air television, perhaps obviously.
ITV's Tour coverage was produced by VSquared TV until 2024. Its is helmed by Gary Imlach alongside Chris Boardman and Pete Kennaugh, with commentary from Ned Boulting and David Millar, and insight from Matt Rendell and Daniel Friebe.
Rendell posted on X: "I guess you’ll have heard the news, that 2025 is to be ITV’s last Tour de France. Surprised (no free-to-air for London 2027??). Slightly in shock. No Gary presenting the Tour. Hard to believe.
"Not just Gary: lots of other people are synonymous with Channel 4/ITV’s coverage. Speaking personally, I’ve had a good run. Still, there’s that heady feeling of muted panic over income that became familiar during Covid. I’ll try and put it off until August 2025."
It is the latest upheaval for viewers in the UK, after GCN+ closed at the end of last season.
