Netflix confirm that Tour de France: Unchained will stop this year 💔
The deal between the streaming service, teams, and ASO isn’t being renewed, as Richard Plugge calls out missed opportunities
Netflix’s Tour de France Unchained docu-series will come to an end after three seasons, with the final set of shows released later this summer.
We can confirm that the three-year deal that covered the 2022, 2023, and 2024 editions of the men’s race has not been renewed, with Netflix telling us that the streaming service has decided to go in another direction.
We spoke directly to Netflix, who were keen to stress that this was not a cancellation but simply the end of a three-year cycle and that the biggest online streaming service in the world, with over 280 million subscribers, would instead focus on other sports in the future.
They also stated that there were no confirmed plans to make a docu-series following the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift after Le Parisien reported that it was a possibility for the future. The general gist from speaking to Netflix was that they wished to move away from pro cycling.
Tour de France: Unchained burst onto the scene in 2022/23 with eight teams signed up for the initial project, with AG2R Citroën Team, Alpecin-Fenix, BORA-hansgrohe, EF Education-EasyPost, Ineos Grenadiers, Groupama FDJ, and Team Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl on board.
Tadej Pogačar’s UAE Team Emirates joined as part of series two. The show went behind the scenes, much like the streaming service’s Drive to Survive series that focused on F1, and showcased several storylines at the Tour.
Richard Plugge, the general manager of Visma-Lease a Bike, and whose team featured heavily in every series, was instrumental in bringing the Unchained deal together, working with Netflix and the Tour de France organisers, ASO. He highlighted the show’s initial progress, along with some of the missed opportunities that were made once the deal was completed.