France Television apologized Monday for causing a nasty crash during the ninth stage of the Tour de France:

“France Television apologizes to the riders, the teams and to the ASO (the Amaury Sports Organisation media group) for the accident during the ninth stage of the Tour de France which was caused by a technical assistance vehicle covering the race,” said a statement quoted by Agence France-Presse. “France Television will respect fully the measures which will be taken by the ASO to improve safety.”

Viewership was up 32 percent for the first round of the NBA playoffs on TNT, with 4.2 million average viewers versus the 3.1 million on average who watched last year’s first round games. In the numbers released Monday, TNT outlined double-digit growth across several demographics, including

All viewers 18-34 +38%Â   (1,390,000 vs. 1,008,000)

All viewers 18-49 +37%Â   (2,403,000 vs. 1,757,000)

All viewers 25-54 +32%Â   (2,128,000 vs. 1,615,000)

Men 18-34 +36%Â   (982,000 vs. 721,000)

Men 18-49 +38%Â   (1,729,000 vs. 1,252,000)

Men 25-54 +34%Â   (1,517,000 vs. 1,133,000)

TNT’s postseason success follows its most-watched regular season, when the NBA on TNT averaged a 1.6 U.S. household rating, up 45 percent over last year’s coverage.

(Source: Turner Broadcast Sports)