SBS has been well known for its support for the Tour de France for a long time.

The media outlet has now announced that Renault is the first of its 2009 sponsors for the cycling event. The sponsorship deal will span television and online and the French car company will feature its Koleos SUV throughout the tour telecast.

Also as a part of the deal, Renault will ‘own’ the Taste le Tour segments, hosted by French celebrity chef Gabriel Gate.

Renault Australia Managing Director, Rudi Koenig, asserts that the sponsorship reflected Renault’s deep association with French culture, its pursuit of excellence and the quality of SBS’s Tour de France coverage.

“Renault has a longstanding relationship with SBS and the Tour de France. This iconic event is absolutely aligned with our brand values and our target market, and we look forward to leveraging our association across SBS’s on-air and online platforms,” says Koeing.

The Tour has been a ratings winner for SBS in the past – 6.8 million Australians watched SBS’s coverage of the 2008 event.

This year, the Tour will be featured most comprehensively via SBS’s website, according to SBS director of commercial affairs, Richard Finlayson, with additional updates and live streaming of the events as they occur.