French Women Want More Women's Sport — and Expect Sponsors to Step Up
Updated: 6 days ago
TL;DR: A new Alice Milliat Foundation study, conducted by Kantar, finds 35% of French women want to watch more women's sport but are blocked mainly by a lack of available content — and most female athletes think sponsors should invest more.
What the Study Found
The study, run by Kantar for the Alice Milliat Foundation among 1,010 representative French women aged 18 and over (surveyed online 20-28 August 2026), finds real appetite: 41% already watch women's sport and 35% want to watch more.
The obstacles are almost entirely about supply. A third (33%) cite a lack of available content, 26% point to inconvenient scheduling, 23% to unclear competition dates and 17% simply can't find where to watch. Fully 76% believe women's sport isn't broadcast on equal terms with men's.
The Sponsorship Signal
Athletes are clear about what they want from commercial partners. Among female athletes, 67% want more women's-sport content and 60% believe sponsors should invest more. When it comes to messaging, they prioritise gender equality (57%), athletic performance (50%) and personal achievement (39%).
The report's sharpest line is a warning as much as an invitation: women's sport 'must be presented as a desirable sporting spectacle, not merely as a cause.' Athletes want to be backed as competitors, not adopted as a good deed.
Marketing Minute's Read: Demand Is Here, the Pipe Isn't
The most useful finding for brands is that the barriers are supply-side: content, scheduling, discoverability. The appetite already exists; distribution is what lags. That makes early, serious investment an opportunity to build association with a growing audience before it is fully served — not a risk.
But heed the warning. Back women's sport as great sport, not as charity. Audiences — and athletes — can smell a cause being used as a campaign, and performative support erodes trust faster than staying out of it. The brands that win here will fund the spectacle, show up consistently, and let the quality do the talking.
Quick FAQ
Do French women want more women's sport?
Yes — 35% say they want to watch more and 41% already watch; the main barriers are a lack of available content (33%), inconvenient scheduling (26%) and unclear fixtures (23%).
What do athletes say about sponsors?
Among the female athletes surveyed, 60% believe sponsors should invest more in women's sport and 67% want more women's-sport content overall.
How should brands approach women's sport?
The report urges brands to present it as a desirable sporting spectacle rather than a cause — authentic investment in the sport itself, not performative support.
The data is unusually clear: the appetite for women's sport is there, the plumbing isn't. The barriers are supply, not demand. The warning for brands is just as clear — back it as great sport, not a good deed. Audiences can smell a cause being used as a campaign, and it costs you more trust than doing nothing. — Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing
The barriers to women's sport are supply, not demand — back it as great sport, never as a cause to be seen supporting.
Would your brand invest in women's sport as a sponsorship bet, not a CSR line? Tell us what would make the business case for you.
If you would like to know more about this topic, please contact us on danieln@merxmarketing.co.uk
Sources: CB News; Fondation Alice Milliat / Kantar.
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Written by Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing Ltd and Marketing Minute
