TV coverage of TDF

[Pendodave]

VPN to Australia and watch on SBS sports for live coverage. There are ads and I think the stream expires a couple of hours after the stage finish.

I sometimes do this, but I'm not particularly impressed by the Aussie commentary team. Maybe I've been broken by Carlton Kirby... they do insist on dragging the most tangential aussie angle into almost anything
I'm in France atm, but when BoC had his short, hopeless breakaway today, I almost wished I was watching SBS so I could hear them spin it as really sensible move...

[Pendodave]

Also (but I can't check atm) I think sbs have the full race (and possibly highlights) available to watch on demand, which can be handy if you can't catch it live.

[Pendodave]

Enjoyed the stage today (10).
Great comeback by remco.
Those descents looked extremely sketchy at the speeds they travel at.

[julian]

Is anyone else finding the channel 5 "coverage" ruinous? I've loved watching the TDF since Channel 4 1980s, but it's now put into sharp relief how good the 1980s-2025 coverage was.
Useless / incomprehensible commentary: nothing on landmarks, race background, rider information, minimal stage information etc etc

Am thinking of getting a VPN for the Australian coverage...I also read that Phil Liggett is still commenting for the NBC coverage - is this accessible with a VPN?
Cheers

[Paulatic]

NBC is available by VPN I think you have to pay for full coverage. Just took a peek and I was allowed a limited time free preview. Liggett was certainly commenting it was dire.
I’ll stick with SBS as it’s free and I’ve got totally used to their, understandable, Australian bias.

[TrevA]

Is anyone else finding the channel 5 "coverage" ruinous? I've loved watching the TDF since Channel 4 1980s, but it's now put into sharp relief how good the 1980s-2025 coverage was.
Useless / incomprehensible commentary: nothing on landmarks, race background, rider information, minimal stage information etc etc

Am thinking of getting a VPN for the Australian coverage...I also read that Phil Liggett is still commenting for the NBC coverage - is this accessible with a VPN?
Cheers

I think this is due to the C5 coverage being a highlights programme. They don’t have time for that sort of stuff. I watch the TNT coverage live and there’s quite a lot on the background of the area that they are passing through - a bloke called Jonathan seems to be the specialist in this area. On the live coverage, there’s lots of post race analysis by Orla, Sean Kelly , Matt Stephens, Robbie McEwen, Adam Blyth and the occasional guest like Jonathan Vaughters, and today they had Tom Boonen. They show what’s coming on tomorrow’s stage, rider and manager interviews with Hannah Walker, etc.

You don’t get any of this on the C5 coverage, just a brief roundup from Rebecca Charlton and selected highlights of the racing. .

[toontra]

Is anyone else finding the channel 5 "coverage" ruinous? I've loved watching the TDF since Channel 4 1980s, but it's now put into sharp relief how good the 1980s-2025 coverage was.
Useless / incomprehensible commentary: nothing on landmarks, race background, rider information, minimal stage information etc etc

Gary Imlach was a great presenter with a deep knowledge of the sport. They also had good studio guests for analysis.

I agree that the current C5 is a poor substitute (but presumably a lot cheaper to produce).

[Pendodave]

...I also read that Phil Liggett is still commenting for the NBC coverage - is this accessible with a VPN?
Cheers

Not seen in, but there's a lot of very negative reaction amongst US cycle fans to Liggett. Suggesting that he's well past his best. They're even considering getting a VPN to listen to more Carlton C...

[mattheus]

Is anyone else finding the channel 5 "coverage" ruinous? I've loved watching the TDF since Channel 4 1980s, but it's now put into sharp relief how good the 1980s-2025 coverage was.
Useless / incomprehensible commentary: nothing on landmarks, race background, rider information, minimal stage information etc etc

Gary Imlach was a great presenter with a deep knowledge of the sport. They also had good studio guests for analysis.

Totally agree.

I agree that the current C5 is a poor substitute (but presumably a lot cheaper to produce).

Whatever they're paying Rebecca Charlton is too much.

[pjclinch]

IIRC, in one of Ned Boulting's books (I think "How I won the Yellow Jumper") he describes Gary Imlach as "peerless" and I think that's fair. He's the best sports anchor I've ever seen at work.

Pete.

[toontra]

IIRC, in one of Ned Boulting's books (I think "How I won the Yellow Jumper") he describes Gary Imlach as "peerless" and I think that's fair. He's the best sports anchor I've ever seen at work.

Indeed. Having had the fortune of meeting him he's also a genuinely nice chap. I hope he's found gainful employment. The final episode of last-year's tour, looking back over C4/5 many years of coverage, was very nostalgic for me and actually quite emotional

[rareposter]

I think this is due to the C5 coverage being a highlights programme. They don’t have time for that sort of stuff. I watch the TNT coverage live and there’s quite a lot on the background of the area that they are passing through - a bloke called Jonathan seems to be the specialist in this area.

Jonathan Harris-Bass. Sports commentator and a trained chef (like, really really good chef - may even have a Michelin star). He often pops up with a recipe of the day relevant to the region of France that the race is in, he knows his wine inside out as well as the history of the region, the chateaux and castles etc.

Not seen in, but there's a lot of very negative reaction amongst US cycle fans to Liggett. Suggesting that he's well past his best. They're even considering getting a VPN to listen to more Carlton C...

Phil Liggett was past his best 20 years ago. The guy was a walking set of cycling cliches when Lance was racing. I've heard him commentate live and it was cringeworthy even then.

The ITV4 team was brilliant because they understood that not everyone wanted to hear about cycling all day long so they covered history, geography, little guest segments (they even had Alexei Sayle on live commentary a few times, he was incredible - turns out the guy is a real cycling fan while also being very funny). They'd had years to perfect their style and delivery, the whole team (right down to sound crew, photographers etc) had remained pretty constant throughout the years.

[MrsHJ]

Great stage yesterday ( Friday 17th). Worth a watch of the highlights.

[Pompey Monkey]

Great stage yesterday ( Friday 17th). Worth a watch of the highlights.

Just the highlights? I watched in the evening expecting to do the usual thing of seeing the first hour or so for the break to form and then skipping to the final climb. I ended up glued to the set for nearly the whole thing. It was absolutely gripping from start to finish!

[mattsccm]

Kirby! My goodness , he is awful. Calm down man, you sound like a football commentator. I'll have 100% Kelly any day.