As the Tour de France prepares to climb the Pyrenees, ratings are up while 2010 TDF numbers are down.

Crashes and injuries have forced 20 cyclists to drop out leaving only 178 riders in the race.  But riders’ pain seems to be Versus’ gain. Live morning race coverage on the channel has averaged 501,000 viewers and a .5 household rating through Stage 9 on July 13 — the best start for race coverage in the network’s 10-year history with the Tour.

The cable network also says unique users on its Tour de France Web site in the U.S. have increased 15% overall, while pages per user are up 22%. Unique users’ average time on the site is currently running 13% higher than a year ago.

Versus, like all media companies in big events, is touting its three-screen approach to this competition. In addition to cable and internet coverage, Versus is offering an iPhone app for its mobile component. The Tour app will offer video highlights, standings and route maps.

The three-screen approach just reached a new goal for media conglomerates to strive for with ESPN’s coverage of soccer’s World Cup. ESPN estimated that 132 million persons aged 2+ had consumed World Cup content in the U.S. across all of ESPN’s platforms. ESPN is promoting the notion of 3 with the new website, ESPN3.com. This website is all about watching live streaming sports online.

Sources: Versus, TV By The Numbers 7/7/2010
See also:

• re:Cycling TV 7/12/2010
• MediaPost 7/12/2010
• Rating The Race & The Riders 7/2/2010

Photo: Quickstep’s Sylvain CHAVANEL, Stage 7 on 7/10/2010. Credit:  ©PresseSports/B.Papon

One of this summer’s “hottest” new shows is a reality based sports drama featuring daily updates each morning. It raises the usual reality fare a few notches, including spontaneous fistfights, a psychopath who has been kicked off the island, illicit drug use and egos which dwarf anything that Hollywood could imagine. This production uses real world class athletes competing for big prizes. And instead of unseen producers manipulating the circumstances to imitate reality…it uses reality.

OK, it’s in France. Maybe not the reality most of us share, but it’s reality for the 198 riders in this year’s Tour de France – a three-week daily drama taking place across the pond.

Reality shows are usually weekly cliffhangers. In this version, protagonists that ride on cliffs are often eliminated on a daily basis.

There is danger aplenty on the screen with steep canyons, narrow roads, rain, cars, motorcycles, the press and cobblestones. And let’s not forget team rivalries and personal rivalries. Add to this – doping allegations, drug tests and blood samples.

While Versus awaits validation of this programming with hopefully higher ratings, it seems like this reality show should produce that desired effect.

Too much to keep track of? Here’s a short list of Top Things You Should Know About The Tour de France so far:

• Lance Armstrong – The sentimental favorite, in his final TDF race, crashes several times and is now too far back to win. According to BenepesBikeBlog on location coverage of the race, “Armstrong said he clipped pedals with another rider, his wheel rolled, and he came down hard as he was traveling about 65 kph (about 40 mph). He had bloody wounds on his arms and back.”  Lady Luck may have been in his corner on seven previous TDF wins, but not this year (Future Headline: “Lady Luck Bitch Slaps Lance in 8th TDF Win Attempt”)
• Alberto Contador – Last year’s winner and Armstrong’s nemesis is riding effortlessly, currently in 3rd place.
• Floyd Landis – The disgraced former rider has admitted to drug-taking and is trying to take Lance Armstrong down with him.
• Great Finishes – Can happen on any single stage but never on the last one in Paris. Tradition dictates no change in leadership on the final day.
• Crashes – Even after horrible crashes, some riders refuse to give up, others are not so lucky. A few notable crashes so far in the race: Christian Vande Velde (broken ribs /out), Tyler Farrar (broken wrist / in), Robert Gesink (fractured forearm / in), Adam Hansen (broken sternum / out).
• Who’s leading now – Cadel Evans of Australia.
• What’s next – Levi Leipheimer, Lance Armstrong’s teammate, is currently the highest-ranked American in 8th place, and Team RadioShack will now devote all its efforts to leading him to victory.
• Who will win – Alberto Contador is the strongest rider and has excellent support on Team Astana.

Back to our show – watch out for the bikes lying on the road ahead of you.

Source: BenepesBikeBlog, 7/11/2010
See also: Canada.com 7/29/07

Nielsen has designs on measuring all media consumption. Nielsen has labeled this “Follow the Video.” Perhaps they should call it “Follow the Audio.”

The ratings juggernaut has put in place measurement technologies that follow three screens – TV, internet & mobile. Now comes word that Nielsen will release out-of-home data later this summer through a joint venture with a company called IMMI. This technology from IMMI is similar to Arbitron’s PPM. Panelists will carry a specially-designed cell phone with them wherever they go. This cell phone is completely passive and collects audio fingerprints from all media sources. The audio signals are then uploaded to a central site and compared to a master database of all audio sources.

Does this mean we are really back to one screen? This smart cell phone screen? Can audio rule the day versus video? Can audio fingerprints truly be matched to all possible audio fragments in a given market? I think the overriding question is: Does this work?

This technology will not be accredited by the MRC at launch. Some other impediments include:

• IMMI’s sample is ages 13-54. so, Kids & Tweens 2-12 will not be included, nor the huge 55+ demographic. So this is not exactly representative.
• All panelists must use the IMMI “smart phone” as their ONLY phone. One can not use a landline phone or one’s own cell phone for day-to-day use. This will take a lot of convincing for people to give up their own cell phones. What about ringtones?
• Respondents carry the smart phone with them all of the time, in their pockets and their pocketbooks. Can this miracle device hear and identify every audio source in a market amid the cacophony of everyday noise and audio distractions?

Is this technology sound and ready for prime time? Well, at least we know it’s “sound.”

See also: Cynopsis Weekender, July 2007: Here, There And Everywhere

Nielsen today officially pronounced the VCR as all but dead. The coroner has been called. Due to DVD’s and DVR’s, people are not using their VCR’s anymore. And what is interesting is that even homes that haven’t jumped on board yet with a DVR have cut their VCR usage in half in the last year.

But even with the death knell sounding, American households are not throwing their VCR’s out in the trash. 67% of all homes still have a VCR sitting unused. The landfills can be happy because Americans would rather be lazy and leave the VCR sitting there than embark on the job of throwing it out. Credit tough local ordinances on what can be thrown out and when.

This situation seems similar to other U.S. businesses that have inevitably risen and fallen. While not a direct comparison to the auto industry, the decline of the VCR can be looked at as the model T at the end of its usefulness and popularity. Will the DVR mirror Toyota? Perhaps, yet while DVR’s are gaining in influence, they are still in only 24% of homes. And they are overwhelmingly situated in upscale, A County households. We can rule on this another day.

Source: Nielsen

Nielsen recently reported that kids and teens are consuming much more online video than adults. In fact, the rankings for both number of streams and minutes of online video in the latest month were:

#1) Teens 12-17
#2) Kids 2-11
#3) Adults 18+

What does this mean for the future of TV viewing? Total consumption of video on TV screens and computer screens will increase. This has been shown via multi-tasking and the stability of overall TV HUT levels. What will come under pressure are the linear TV ratings to television-only properties. As the television distribution system moves from analog to digital, and as the penetration of DVR and PC activity moves older into the adult population, the economics of these shifts in consumption will begin to be felt to the detriment of linear TV programming. This financial shift will probably take years longer to happen than the viewing statistics imply simply because the client decision makers will need to catch up to this curve themselves via their own experiences.

Nielsen will help move this groundswell along simply by issuing more digital rating products, i.e. with their fusion reports, combined TV/Internet panels and out-of-home offerings. As Nielsen goes, so goes the business side of video consumption.

Source: Nielsen