Today is the first day of the 2020 Tour de France. Unlike in previous years, there is now a low-cost way for cord-cutters who don't have a cable or satellite TV subscription to stream, without an expensive subscription package. NBC's Peacock Premium allows you to stream live Tour de France stages for $4.99 a month.
In previous years, streaming the Tour de France has required a more expensive, cycling-specific subscription, like NBC Sports Gold Cycling Pass or FloBikes. This year NBC is showing at least some of their Tour de France content on a new, more economical streaming service, Peacock Premium.
What is Peacock Premium and how can I use it to watch the Tour de France?
Peacock Premium is a low cost streaming option for movies, news, some sports, and old TV shows by NBC. NBC has announced that the 2020 Tour de France stages will be offered on the Peacock Premium tier, instead of only on the more expensive Cycling Pass package, as in previous years.
Since Peacock Premium costs $4.99 monthly and the Tour de France is 3 weeks, you can watch the entire race for just $4.99. There's also a free Peacock tier; however, it won't have the Tour de France.
What devices are supported for watching Le Tour on Peacock?
You can stream on most Mac and PC web browsers, iPhone, Android devices; Chromecast, Playstation 4, Xbox, and more. Download the apps.
Downsides of Peacock Premium
- It's live only - If you're in the USA, you'll need to wake up very early, especially on the West coast
- No rewind, pause, or DVR, so you can't watch on your own schedule - and no bathroom breaks
- No choice of broadcast team - you'll get NBC's commentators in English
The cheapest way to stream the Tour de France
Peacock Premium costs $4.99 / month. A "Plus" version with no/fewer ads is $9.99 a month. If you're certain these are a good fit for your needs, subscribe for a year, $49.99 for Premium and $99.99 for Premium Plus, a little bit of a discount compared to the monthly rate.
It's a bare-bones option, with no replay, on-demand, pause, fast-forward/rewind functions. There is an option for English subtitles for early-morning watching with the volume turned down available.
Since there's no penalty for cancelling, it appears that bicycle racing fans can simply subscribe when Le Tour starts and then cancel when it's done, total cost as low as $4.99.
What else do I get?
A bunch of other NBC original content, movies, back catalogs of TV shows, live news, and some live sports including soccer (football). If you're reading this, you probably care mostly about the Tour de France, but it's worth noting if you're a regular "TV watcher" you do get quite a bit more.
Not sure? There's a 7 day free trial: https://www.peacocktv.com/premium#ib-section-section-9