French volleyball's stadium challenge

French volleyball, despite its national team's Olympic success, struggles to fill stadiums. The National Volleyball League (LNV) is trying to leverage the team's prestige to boost club economics through initiatives like VOLSTAR, a brand platform developed with the agency 4uatre.

Disparity between success and attendance

In the 2025-2026 season, the three professional volleyball divisions in France attracted 541,905 spectators. However, television viewership rose by 90 percent, with 957,000 unique viewers. Despite this, stadium attendance remains a persistent issue for the sport.

League's marketing and partnerships

The LNV is working with various partners to enhance its visibility. Alterna Énergie has become a partner of the men's elite division for three seasons, while Saforelle extends its collaboration with the women's team through Break the Rules, a video series on rules and intimate health that has gained significant online attention.

New sports media initiatives

CANAL+ launched SPORT+, a new offering that provides sports content to non-subscribers. Thomas Sénécal, director of Sports at CANAL+, explains what content remains exclusive to subscribers. In Monaco, Nicolas Eberswiller outlines TVMonaco's sports strategy, covering AS Monaco Rugby and the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

UGREEN's brand strategy

UGREEN, a Chinese company with a 1.6 billion euro turnover, is using the 20 km of Paris event to build its brand in France. The runners chosen for the event are part of UGREEN's broader marketing strategy to increase visibility and connect with French audiences.

AI and sponsorship trends in sports

A study by COSMOS highlights that 62 percent of sports organizations use AI, but 56 percent cite a lack of skills as a major obstacle. The issue also discusses the repetition of values in sponsorship press releases, with contributions from experts in the field.

Women's sports broadcasting gap

A Kantar study for the Alice Milliat Foundation found that 76 percent of women believe women's sports are less well broadcast than men's. This highlights ongoing challenges in media coverage and visibility for female athletes.

Racing and wool in sports

The Lamera Cup is gaining national exposure with Reworld Media and aims to have more than 35 cars start in 2027. Damien Pommeret, from The Woolmark Company, acknowledges the limitations of the company's return to sport, stating that it will not match the volume of wool used in formal wear.