Summary

The global basketball market is thriving, reaching a value of $9.3 billion in 2022, with a projected annual growth rate of 7.10% to 2030. The NBA is the leading league, with franchise teams worth an average of $3.95 billion in 2023. The French basketball scene is no exception, with leagues such as Betclic ELITE and Pro B, overseen by the Ligue nationale de basket-ball (LNB). Despite the challenges posed by the health crisis, French basketball is bouncing back, as evidenced by the upward trend in FFBB (Fédération française de basket-ball), which has seen an increase in membership, although the number of clubs has fallen slightly to 3,734 by 2022, suggesting a consolidation towards larger clubs, particularly in urban areas.

Interest in sport in France has risen slightly, reaching an interest level of 90% in 2022, and 81% of French people have taken part in a physical activity or sport in the past year. The market is supported by a strong network of associations and sponsors, with the FFBB showing a declining number of clubs but an increase in average membership, indicating a move towards larger and potentially more commercially viable clubs.

Market dynamics in the French basketball sector: a dynamic landscape with emerging opportunities

Basketball has established a particularly strong position in the French sports sector, demonstrating a healthy market and promising growth prospects. French interest in sporting activities is evident, with almost 90% of the population expressing an affinity for sport, a modest increase on previous years. This national sentiment is reflected in a high level of participation, with almost 8 out of 10 French people taking part in some form of physical activity or sport over the past year.

This general enthusiasm reflects the flourishing market for basketball in the country. French basketball clubs, part of this dynamic sporting fabric, facilitate structured, competitive play between genders and ages, through regular training sessions and championship matches. The basketball market, with global estimates of between $8 and $10 billion, is set to prosper with a compound annual growth rate of between 6% and 8%.

The dynamism of this market is mainly influenced by the great popularity of the National Basketball Association (NBA), where franchise valuations hover around $3.5 to $4.5 billion on average in 2023.

Closer to home, France's Betclic ELITE and Pro B leagues are making good progress under the aegis of the Ligue nationale de basket-ball (LNB). The two leagues collectively host 36 teams, with a tangible revitalization after the setbacks of the health crisis. The appeal of French basketball is reinforced by the fact that it is the fourth most popular sport among licensed players, moving up to second place if only team sports are considered.

Remarkably, the sport also boasts a higher female participation rate than other team sports such as soccer. In financial terms, French clubs benefit from sponsors, match receipts and operating subsidies, which make up a significant proportion of their revenues.

The appeal of NBA-centric equipment, despite its higher price than LNB options, drives consumer interest and sales in the equipment market, underlining the influential presence of various players vying for market share.

As for the clubs themselves, the trend seems to be towards consolidation rather than expansion. The French Basketball Federation (FFBB) reported a drop in the number of clubs to between 3,500 and 3,800, with the inclusion of around 70 to 80 new affiliations. Despite the increase in the number of members, clubs average between 130 and 150 members, a significant increase on the previous period. An overview of the market also reveals a variety of club sizes, with around 200 clubs.

An overview of the main market players

In the dynamic sphere of French basketball, several key players emerge as central forces shaping the market, bringing vibrant competition and a sizeable fan base to the hardwood.

While the National Basketball Association (NBA) triumphs as the global goliath with its star-studded franchises, the European circuit displays its prowess through the Turkish Airlines Euroleague, which showcases the continent's basketball talent.

In the heart of France, the Betclic ELITE and Pro B leagues stand out as the leading professional battlegrounds, both operating under the aegis of the Ligue nationale de basket-ball (LNB). Their collective resilience in the face of the adversities of the health crisis reflects a commendable rebound in performance and popularity. With 18 teams each vying for supremacy, their on-court stories weave a rich tapestry of athletic excellence and community engagement.

These leagues operate within a vast network of basketball clubs affiliated to the French Basketball Federation (FFBB). Despite a slight contraction in the number of clubs, the desire for expansion is evident, as existing clubs boast an ever-increasing membership, testifying to the sport's undeniable appeal.

In the midst of this competition, the equipment sector is buzzing with activity, particularly when it comes to NBA-branded equipment. The NBA's appeal is tangible, its merchandise sells at premium prices and represents a significant share of the market. Equipment suppliers navigate a highly competitive landscape to cater to the French passion for basketball, each vying to equip casual fans and serious athletes alike with the tools of the trade.

The structure of the market reveals the strengths and positioning of each player within this sporting arena. The NBA is present with its international clout, the Euroleague attracts with its continental charm, and the local French leagues, Betclic ELITE and Pro B, offer a national perspective with regional rivalries and local heroes.

All these entities are linked within a diverse ecosystem that extends from elite professional stadiums to grassroots basketball clubs in French towns and departments. The governing body, the FFBB, not only anchors the sport's regulatory framework, it also inspires communities by encouraging local participation through thousands of clubs. Every component of this market - from acclaimed associations to ambitious retailers - contributes to the story of basketball, propelled by a nation's enduring love of the sport and its myriad health and social benefits.

Get all the information you need
to understand this market

Detailed content

Inforamtion

  • Number of pages : 30 pages
  • Format : Digital and PDF versions
  • Last update : 07/12/2023
Update Details

Summary and extracts

1 Market overview

1.1 Definition and scope of study

Basketball clubs enable players with an annually renewed license to play basketball in teams of different ages and genders, with several training sessions a week and matches in national, regional or departmental championships. They are generally based in specific towns or départements.

The global basketball market is booming, valued at $9.3 billion in 2022, and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.10% until 2030. The NBA (National Basketball Association) is the world's most closely followed basketball league. Its teams, known as franchises, are known the world over and are valued at several billion dollars each, with an average value of $3.95 billion in 2023. The second most popular league is the Turkish Airlines Euroleague, pitting various European teams against each other.

France also boasts several professional leagues, the two most recognized being the Betclic ELITE and the Pro B, each containing 18 teams. These two leagues are managed by the Ligue Nationale de Basketball (LNB). After a slight setback caused by the health crisis, the results of these clubs and of the federation, the FFBB (Fédération Française de Basketball), are on the up again. Basketball is a very popular sport in France; it is the 4ᵉ sport with the most licensees, and occupies second place in this ranking if we look at team sports alone. The proportion of girls is much higher in this sport than in other team sports such as soccer.

French clubs benefit from the financial support of numerous sponsors, who account for a significant proportion of their revenue, as do match receipts and operating subsidies. The most popular basketball equipment revolves around the NBA and is generally more expensive than that of the LNB. Numerous players compete in the equipment sales sector.

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, ...

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 ...

2 Demand analysis

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 ****. **% of French people claim to have taken part in ...

2.2 Sportsperson profile

On average,men have 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 sports participation rate of **%. The other generations follow ...

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 ...

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: ****

**% of French people said they were satisfied or very satisfied with their local authority's ...

3 Market structure

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 *.*% drop in the number of clubs, to *,*** clubs, including ** new affiliations. Despite ...

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, ****-****, ...

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: ****

While a similar trend can be observed for both leagues, with slight growth until the ****/**** season, followed by two ...

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 ...

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 ...

4 Offer analysis

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" ...

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 see an increase in ****/****, surely due to inflation.in terms of facilities, while the FFBB lists a large ...

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, such as MadinBasket, Basket ...

5 Regulations

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, ...

6 Positioning the players

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

List of charts

  • Are you interested in sports in general?
  • In the last 12 months, have you practised any physical or sporting activity, even if only occasionally or during your vacations?
  • When people talk to you about "sports or physical activities", which dimensions interest you most?
  • Distribution of FFBB clubs by number of members
  • Number of FFBB affiliated clubs
Show more Hide

All our studies are available online in PDF format

Take a look at an example of our research on another market!

Do you have a question about this study?   +44 238 097 0676

Latest news

L'Equipe appoints former Prisma Media executive as CEO - 13/03/2024
  • L'Equipe is a multimedia group with considerable development in various sectors.
  • 90.000 digital subscribers.
  • Circulation of the L'Equipe title increased by 2.3% in 2023, with an average of 220,000 copies.
  • The L'Equipe group employs around 600 people, half of whom are journalists.
Adidas still going strong despite the Kanye West scandal. - 20/11/2023
  • Adidas had a colossal stock of Yeezy sneakers, estimated at over a billion euros.
  • Yeezy sneaker sales accounted for 7% of Adidas sales.
  • Adidas organized two massive destocking operations, generating 400 million euros in the first online sale and almost the same amount in the second.
  • Resale prices for Yeezy sneakers vary between 100 and 300 euros.
Laurent Prud'homme leaves the group, Aurore Amaury - 17/11/2023
  • Laurent Prud'homme, General Manager of the L'Équipe group, is set to step down from his post
  • Laurent Prud'homme spent three years at the helm of L'Équipe Aurore Amaury, President of Groupe L'Équipe, will take over as interim CEO; she is also co-CEO of Groupe Amaury
  • The L'Équipe group comprises several L'Équipe brand media, including France Football, Vélo Magazine, and the organization of events such as the "Ballon d'or", the "Vélo d'or", and "Demain le Sport".
  • Jean-Étienne Amaury, Aurore Amaury's brother, runs ASO, organizer of almost 90 sporting events
  • In May 2020, Aurore and Jean-Étienne Amaury took over the reins of the family group founded by their grandfather Emilien Amaury in 1944.
  • It was then run by their father, Philippe Amaury, until his death in 2006.
  • They are the third generation to preside over the company's destiny.
Change at the head of the L'Equipe Group - 17/11/2023
  • Laurent Prud'homme was head of L'Equipe for less than three years.
  • Aurore Amaury becomes interim managing director of L'Equipe.
  • Groupe Amaury is mainly divided into two divisions: media, of which L'Equipe is a part, and ASO, which organizes major sporting events.
  • The Canal+ Sport offer used to bring L'Equipe 200,000 subscribers, which has drastically dwindled to around 150,000 with the end of the inclusion of L'Equipe's digital content.
  • L'Equipe Group's strategy is based on four pillars: the newspaper, television, social networks and the digital platform.
  • Diversification revenues account for around 13% of L'Equipe Group's sales.
  • Groupe L'Equipe employs around 600 people, half of whom are journalists.
  • By 2021, the group had operating income of 4.1 million euros, rising to 6.4 million euros by 2022.
L'Équipe becomes the new broadcaster of the Dakar Rally - 10/11/2023
  • L'Équipe now broadcasts the Dakar Rally
  • The Dakar Rally is a 5000-kilometre loop
  • The Dakar Rally will be covered by a dozen people on the ground and around twenty from Paris
  • This will be L'Équipe's biggest financial investment in 2024
  • TV rights for the rally have been acquired for several years
  • 850 participants
  • More than three hours of live coverage per day will be devoted to the competition on the channel
  • The L'Équipe channel's audience has grown by 43% in five years, from 1.2% to 1.7%
  • L'Équipe lost 15 to 20 million euros a year for several years, but returned to the black in 2021
  • By 2023, the channel hopes to break even
  • l'Équipe broadcasts 15 of the 28 Olympic sports.
The L'Equipe group, ready for an exceptional year - 01/09/2023
  • Series of sporting events organized in France, the Rugby World Cup, the 2024 Paralympic Games, the Euro soccer tournament, the Tour de France and the Paris Olympics.
  • 150.000 digital subscribers.
  • By 2022, the L'Équipe group has achieved positive operating income of €6.4 million
  • The group creates four content pillars:
    • the newspaper
    • television
    • social networks and their digital platform.
  • Newspaper sales remained stable in 2022, at around 215,000 copies, according to ACPM.
  • The L'Équipe group has over a million subscribers on TikTok and almost a million on YouTube.
  • The group's digital platform has around 200 million monthly visits
  • The group's revenues are divided into three equivalent sources:
    • television advertising (one third)
    • newspaper sales and advertising (one third)
    • subscriptions and diversification (one third).

Companies quoted in this study

This study contains a complete overview of the companies in the market, with the latest figures and news for each company. :

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

Choosing this study means :

Access to more than 35 hours of work

Our studies are the result of over 35 hours of research and analysis. Using our studies allows you to devote more time and added value to your projects.

Benefit from 6 years' experience and over 1,500 industry reports already produced

Our expertise enables us to produce comprehensive studies in all sectors, including niche and emerging markets.

Our know-how and methodology enable us to produce reports that offer unique value for money.

Access to several thousand articles and paid-for data

Businesscoot has access to all the paid economic press as well as exclusive databases to carry out its market research (over 30,000 articles and private sources).

To enhance our research, our analysts also use web indicators (semrush, trends, etc.) to identify market trends and company strategies. (Consult our paying sources)

Guaranteed support after your purchase

A team dedicated to after-sales service, to guarantee you a high level of satisfaction. +44 238 097 0676

A digital format designed for our users

Not only do you have access to a PDF, but also to a digital version designed for our customers. This version gives you access to sources, data in Excel format and graphics. The content of the study can therefore be easily retrieved and adapted for your specific needs.

Our offers :

the basketball market | France

89 €
  • What are the figures on the size and growth of the market?
  • What is driving the growth of the market and its evolution?
  • What is the positioning of companies in the value chain?
  • Data from several dozen databases

Pack 5 études (-15%) France

75.6 € / study
378 € instead of 445 € -15%
  • 5 études au prix de 75,6€HT par étude à choisir parmi nos 800 titres sur le catalogue France pendant 12 mois
  • Conservez -15% sur les études supplémentaires achetées
  • Choisissez le remboursement des crédits non consommés au terme des 12 mois (durée du pack)

Consultez les conditions du pack et de remboursement des crédits non consommés.

Updates

Our customer references

They have consulted our studies Discover the opinions (+500)

Malcolm Vincent
Linkedin logo

Malcolm Vincent

Astoria Finance

Gregoire de Castelnau
Linkedin logo

Gregoire de Castelnau

Stags Participations

Timothé Huignard
Linkedin logo

Timothé Huignard

PWC

Paul-Alexis Kebabtchieff
Linkedin logo

Paul-Alexis Kebabtchieff

BCG

Aymeric Granet
Linkedin logo

Aymeric Granet

Publicis Consultant

interviews & case studies All interviews and case studies (45)

La pépite Interview

BFM Business

Paul-Alexis Kebabtchieff

Boston Consulting Group

Marie Guibart

Kea Partners

Elaine, Durand

Crédit Agricole, Information & Veille

Philippe Dilasser

Initiative & Finance

Anne Baudry

Metro

Amaury Wernert

Kroll (Duff & Phelps)

Smart Leaders Interview

B-Smart

Do you have a question ?
Our team is at your disposal at   +44 238 097 0676