The basketball market - France (2025)

1.2 A booming global market

The global basketball market is booming, estimated to be worth $*.* billion in ****. It is expected to grow at a CAGR of *.**% until ****.

Estimated growth in the size of the global basketball market World, **** - ****, in $ billions Source: ****

The "basketball market" refers to the economic aspects and business strategies associated with basketball, including the marketing of equipment, apparel, ticket sales, broadcasting rights, and other products and services. Several factors can influence and stimulate this market, including :

the growing popularity of basketball worldwide ; the internationalization of the NBA ; the growing number of young basketball players; technological advances in basketballs and sports shoes; the popularity of e-sports and gaming, notably with the NBA *K video game; sales of sportswear and related products; sponsors and advertising; ticket sales ; broadcasting rights; rarer international competitions such as the FIBA Basketball World Cup and the Olympic Games[***].

The global basketball market revolves around the NBA (***), the world's most watched professional basketball league. The average value of an NBA team, also known as a franchise, was estimated at $*.** billion in ****, according to Forbes magazine, corresponding to an increase of **% compared with ****.

Most valuable NBA franchises United States, ****, in billions USD Source: ****

The most valuable franchise in **** was therefore the ...

1.3 A French market recovering from the health crisis

For the ****/**** NBA season, France is the third most-represented nation, just behind the USA and Canada, with ** players. It is therefore the leading European country represented in the NBA, which testifies to the importance of the basketball market in France.

According to article L.***-* of the French Sports Code, the regulations of the Fédération Française de BasketBall(***) is responsible for overseeing the administrative, financial and legal management of clubs affiliated to the LNB[***].

French professional basketball is overseen by the Ligue Nationale de Basket (***) and Pro B championships. The following graph shows the revenue generated by these two leagues over the last few seasons, and thus provides an estimate of the turnover generated by professional basketball in France.

LNB operating revenue totals France, ****-****, in millions of euros Source: ****

In both cases, operating income fell in the ****/**** season due to the health crisis. Earnings then rose in subsequent seasons, reaching ***.* million euros for Betclic ELITE in the ****/**** season and **.* million euros for Pro B.

2.1 The French are very interested in sport

Sport occupies a special place in the lives of the French. **% of French people say they are at least somewhat interested in sport.

are you interested in sport in general? France, ****, in Source: ****

This share is rising slightly, from **% in **** and **% in ****. In ****, **% of French people claim to have taken part in some form of physical activity or sport in the last ** months. This demonstrates a high rate of participation in sport and physical activity among the French population, also up * points on ****.

In the last ** months, have you taken part in any physical or sporting activity, even if only occasionally or during your vacations? France, ****, in Source: ****

For a majority of French people, sport is synonymous with health.

When people talk to you about "sports or physical activities", which aspects interest you most? France, ****, in Source: ****

2.2 Sportsperson profile

Men have, on average, a higher sports participation rate than women, with **% for men versus **% for women.

Sports participation rates by gender France, ****, in Source: ****

Young people have a higher sports participation rate than older generations. The ** - ** age group even achieves a regular sports participation rate of **%, compared to **% for the ** - ** age group.

Sports participation rates by age group France, ****, in Source: ****

However, even in the oldest age brackets, the rate of regular sports participation remains very high, with the over-**s having a **% rate of regular participation. The gap between age groups in terms of regular sports participation has been narrowing since ****. In ****, the gap was ** percentage points between the under-**s and the over-**s. By ****, it had narrowed to ** points.

CSP+ are the most active sportsmen

Sports participation rates by socio-professional class France, ****, in Source: ****

2.3 Basketball, a widespread sport in France

The FFBB is the French sports federation with the fourth highest number of members, with ***,*** registered in ****. This makes basketball the second most popular team sport in France.

French sports federations with the highest number of licenses France, ****, in thousands Source: ****

The number of licenses issued by the FFBB has undergone a number of changes in previous seasons.

Number of FFBB licenses per season France, ****-****, in thousands of units Source: ****

Observation of the evolution of this number of licenses shows constant growth until ****, contrasted by the subdued ****/**** seasons. The **** season, however, shows a significant upturn in competitive basketball, confirmed by the **** season with its more than ***,*** licensees.

Distribution of FFBB licenses by gender France, ****-****, in percent Source: ****

More than a third of these licenses are held by women(***)[***]. Unsurprisingly, most basketball licensees in France are young. Indeed, in ****, **.*% of licensees were under **.

Number of basketball licensees by age group France, ****, by age group Source: ****

The age group most represented among licensees is the * - ** age group. A look at the number of licenses by region shows that the Île-de-France and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regions have the most licensees, with over **,*** licenses each.

Source: ****

The numbers shown on the map are ...

2.4 The French are satisfied with the sports facilities in their community, but are waiting for new facilities

Generally speaking, the French recognize the efforts made by their local authorities to develop sports facilities.

How do you rate your local authority's policy/ efforts to develop and encourage the practice of sport? France, ****, in Source: ****

French people's satisfaction with sports facilities in their communities is currently declining. In ****, **% of French people said they were satisfied or very satisfied with their local authority's commitment to developing sporting activities. This rate had remained constant compared to ****, however, a feeling of obsolescence is making itself felt, leading to a drop to **% of the satisfied population in ****, down ** points on the previous year. Already, in ****, **% of French people considered the facilities in their commune to be aging or very aging.

Generally speaking, how would you rate the condition of the facilities in your commune? France, ****, in Source: ****

**% of French people would like to see more facilities in their commune, particularly among the younger generation.

In your commune, which facilities would you like to have (***) for your sporting activities? France, ****, in Source: ****

*% of respondents say they would like more facilities for basketball, putting it in **th place among the sports for which the French expect more facilities

3.1 A broad network of associations

The FFBB counted *,*** affiliated clubs in ****. As the following graph shows, the number of clubs with an associative format is declining year on year.

Number of FFBB-affiliated clubs France, ****-****, in units Source: ****

The ****-**** season ended with a *.*% decrease on ****, down to *,*** clubs, including ** new affiliations, up on the new ones in ****. Despite an increase in the number of members, the number of clubs fell, indicating a trend towards expansion of existing clubs rather than the creation of new ones. This raises questions about the geographical distribution of clubs, with an increasing concentration in urban areas, despite the Federation's historical tradition of rural locations.

an average of *** members

Distribution of FFBB clubs by number of members France, ****, in percent Source: ****

**% of clubs have fewer than *** members, **% between *** and ***, **% between *** and *** (***). This allows us to assert that the most widespread clubs are those with a small number of members, but that clubs tend to grow in membership.

3.2 Overview of LNB players

The following graph shows the breakdown of player and coach contracts approved by the LNB for France's top two professional basketball leagues. Although both divisions have the same number of teams, there are slightly more contracts approved in the first division, a sign of its greater attractiveness.

LNB-approved contracts France, ****-****, in units Source: ****

It is also interesting to note thata significant proportion of clubs in both divisions can rely on training centers, but that these training centers are not necessarily supported by the club's professional structure. In Betclic ELITE, all the league's clubs had an approved training center for the ****/**** season, whereas only ** Pro B teams did, i.e. **%. However, this represents an improvement on ****, when only ** Pro B teams had an approved training center.

Training centers France, ****, in units Source: ****

3.3 Club revenues

The average operating revenues of France's top two basketball leagues give an idea of their respective performances.

Jeep ELITE and Pro B average operating revenues France, ****-****, in millions of euros Source: ****

A similar trend can be observed for both leagues, with slight growth until the ****/**** season, followed by two difficult seasons during which a decline is observed. the ****/**** season is marked by a return to growth, with an increase in operating income, which continues into the ****/**** season to return to and even exceed pre-Covid values.

Breakdown of operating revenues for LNB teams France, ****-****, in percent Source: ****

Sponsors are the primary source of remuneration for teams in the various leagues, followed by operating subsidies and match revenues. Operating subsidies account for a larger share of operating income in Pro B than in Betclic ELITE (***).

Match revenues account for **% of Betclic ELITE league revenues, an encouraging recovery from the historically low *% achieved in the ****/**** season due to the health crisis.

Match revenues for all competitions France, ****-****, in millions of euros Source: ****

Furthermore, match revenues in ****/**** reached their highest value ever at **.*** million euros.

Finally, it is worth noting that in the case of Betclic Elite, the sponsorship enjoyed by clubs ...

3.4 Club expenditure

Salaries account for the lion's share of operating expenses for Betclic ELITE and Pro B clubs. This is followed by other purchases and external expenses, social security charges, and finally other operating expenses, made up of taxes, duties, etc.

Operating expenses of Jeep Elite clubs France, ****-****, in percentage Source: ****

The following chart details the minimum, median, average and maximum budgets and wage bills of Betclic ELITE clubs for the ****/**** season. The wage bill includes gross salaries and benefits in kind. It covers the professional team's head and assistant coaches, professional players, as well as any aspiring players and trainees if the professional structure runs the Training Center.

Budgets and wage bills for Betclic Elite France, ****-****, in millions of euros Source: ****

There is a factor of *.** between the minimum and maximum budgets, and a factor of *.** between the minimum and maximum wage bills, reflecting the difference in scale between clubs playing in the same league.

The following chart details the minimum, median, average and maximum budgets and wage bills of Pro B clubs for the ****/**** season.

Average and median Pro B budgets and wage bills France, ****/****, in € thousands Source: ****

This time, we obtain a factor of *.** between the maximum and ...

3.5 FFBB partners

Basketball teams in different leagues are free to establish partnerships with any equipment manufacturer. OEMs are the companies responsible for designing and producing official jerseys for various sports clubs. It is important to note that these entities are not the main sponsors that are usually displayed on the jerseys. Instead, they are the clubs' financial or commercial partners, while the outfitters take care of the material and aesthetic aspects of the sports equipment. The Betclic ELITE teams' outfitters are shown in the following chart:

Number of teams equipped by Betclic ELITE equipment suppliers France, ****/****, in units Source: ****

Kappa is the most present equipment manufacturer in Pro B, equipping * different teams. Nike and Hummel follow with * clubs each.

As for Betclic Elite, Puma is tied for first place with Adidas, with * partner clubs each.

Number of teams equipped by the various Pro B outfitters France, ****/****, in units Source: ****

We can also see that Pro B has far more equipment manufacturers than Betclic ELITE, with ** versus *. In the NBA, the situation is completely different, with Nike the sole equipment manufacturer for all ** franchises until ****.

Sponsors are also very important to the FFBB, and this is reflected in the name of the main league: ...

4.1 A varied offering from professional clubs

All Betclic ELITE and Pro B matches are available free of charge live or replay via LNB TV, a platform designed toincrease the visibility of the French leagues. LNB TV is committed to broadcasting all matches live, free of charge and with commentary, in line with its "***% live, ***% free, ***% commentary" strategy.

The clubs hosting the matches also offer different ticket prices depending on the seats and the size of the stadium. Take the example ofAS Monaco, Betclic ELITE ****/**** regular-season premiers, whose prices are summarized in the following table:

Source: ****

The Boulogne-Levallois team, the Metropolitans **, which came second last season, offers the following prices:

Source: ****

Subscriptions are also available. The following table gives an indication of current prices, using Metropolitans ** as an example:

Source: ****

Clubs also offer their own ranges of clothing (***), the prices of which vary according to the equipment manufacturer involved, as well as a wide variety of merchandising products. The following table lists the prices charged by various clubs:

Source: ****

4.2 The offering for amateur practitioners

The FFBB regulates club basketball through the sale of licenses. The following table shows the prices of the licenses required for competitive play.

Source: ****

After a decrease in prices in the ****/**** season, we observe an increase in ****/****, which continues in ****/****, surely due to inflation. In terms of facilities, while the FFBB lists a large number of open-air courts with free access, recent years have seen the emergence of a new offering of private halls, notably with the creation of Hoops Factory in Paris.

The company offers indoor facilities in Paris, Lille, Toulouse, Bordeaux and Clermont, bookable at the following rates:

Solo : Matches at €** Training : Day pass **€. **€ monthly subscription ***€ annual subscription Individual lessons €** Group lessons **€ (***) more than one * against * from **€ to **€ depending on the hour * against * from **€ to ***€ depending on the hour

We also offer leagues where volunteer teams can compete, as well as birthday parties and corporate events[***].

4.3 NBA equipment tops the sales charts

Basketball equipment such as shoes, balls, jerseys, shorts and more are sold directly by equipment manufacturers such as Adidas or Nike, or by retailers such as Basket*Ballers or MadinBasket. The FFBB even has its own online store selling French basketball team jerseys and merchandise.

Some retailers are present only online, such as MadinBasket, Basket Connection or Basket Center. Others have both online sales sites and physical stores. These include Basket*Ballers, Bouncewear and Foot Locker. as an indication, the prices of some very popular basketball equipment sold on the Basket*Ballers site are listed in the following table:

Source: ****

It's clear that the most popular products, those promoted by the various brands specializing in basketball equipment sales, are those used in the NBA. A very popular phenomenon has been affecting the sector for many years: players collaborate with different equipment manufacturers to market their products, particularly pairs of shoes. This movement, initiated by Michael Jordan, is now very common, and the most popular names in the American league all have a pair of shoes to their name: Lebron James, Stephen Curry, Kyrie Irving...

5. Regulations

The rules of basketball played in France are available on the FFBB website. These rules have been approved by the Central Board of the FIBA (***). The document is divided into the following sections:

The match Field of play and equipment The teams Rules of the game Violations Fouls General rules Referees, table officials, commissioners

In France, basketball is part of the more general practice of sport and it is therefore important to mention the Code du sport published between **** (***), regulating * aspects of sporting life:

Organization of physical and sporting activities Sports players Methods of practicing sport, safety and hygiene of practice sites Financing of sport and provisions applicable to overseas territories

FIBA-approved equipment is described on this website.

6. Segmentation

• Adidas
• ASVEL Basket
• AS Monaco Basket
• F. Junckers Industrier A / S
• Hoops Factory
• L’Equipe
• Metropolitans 92
• JL Bourg Basket
• Cholet Basket
• JDA Dijon Basket
• Fos Provence Basket
• BCM Gravelines-Dunkerque
• Le Mans Sarthe Basket - MSB
• ESSM Le Portel
• Limoges CSP
• SLUC Nancy Basket
• Nanterre 92
• Paris Basketball
• Élan béarnais Pau-Lacq-Orthez
• Chorale Roanne Basket
• SIG Strasbourg Illkirch-Graffenstaden
• Kelme
• Jordan (Nike)
• Nike
• Errea
• Basicnet Group Kappa
• Under Armour
• Foot Locker
• Basket4Ballers Strasbourg