Picture: Netflix
The upcoming season of Tour de France: Unchained on Netflix will be its last. Expected to return in June 2025, Netflix’s coverage of the Tour de France will not continue for the 2025 race, scheduled to take place across 21 stages from July 5th to July 27th this year.
Le Parisien initially reported the cancellation, citing sources who stated that Netflix has no plans to film the 2025 event later this year. A crew member mentioned that they would typically be contacted by Netflix regarding renewal by this time, but no call had been received. The report also suggests that cost may have been a factor, stating (translated into English), “Netflix also pays hundreds of thousands of euros to the organizer and the teams that open their doors to the cameras. This should not disrupt the economics of cycling, with each team receiving around 50,000 euros.”
The cancellation was later confirmed by various cycling magazines, including CyclingNews.com, which spoke directly with Netflix. A spokesperson for Netflix stated, “After three seasons, we are naturally coming to an end of this cycle. We’re very proud of the work we’ve done and of the public response to the documentary series, which has allowed us to offer a fresh take on this legendary competition.”
Although Le Parisien suggests that declining viewership led to the cancellation, the reality is that the show likely struggled to gain a strong audience in the first place. Looking at the global top 10 stats, season 1 only appeared in the top 10 rankings for a single week, accumulating just 1.5 million views. Season 2 lasted two weeks in the top 10s, debuting with 1.1 million views—down 400K from the first season.
Regarding regional performance, season 1 appeared in the top 10s in 15 countries, with Denmark, Slovenia, and Belgium ranking as the strongest markets. Season 2, however, only made the top 10 in 11 countries, with the same leading markets.
The docu-drama series was produced by Box to Box Films, the same team behind F1: Drive to Survive and Quad.
This marks Netflix’s second major sports documentary cancellation of 2025. The other is Six Nations: Full Contact, which has concluded after two seasons. The reduction in sports documentaries aligns with Netflix’s broader content strategy. Historically, Netflix has aggressively invested in emerging content areas—whether animation, gaming, or sports documentaries—to gauge audience interest. After a few years, underperforming titles are often cut as Netflix refines its focus.
We’re tracking all of Netflix’s 2025 cancellations, including other series that have been officially confirmed to be ending.
Are you disappointed that Tour de France: Unchained won’t continue? Let us know in the comments. For more projects coming up from France in 2025 and beyond, stay tuned to What’s on Netflix.
