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The Growing Interest of French Audiences in the NFL
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Long considered a sport primarily for American audiences, American football is now experiencing remarkable growth well beyond the United States. In France, rising viewership, growing excitement around the Super Bowl, increasingly active fan communities, and the upcoming arrival of a regular-season game all point to a new momentum. American football is increasingly emerging as a new platform for brands looking to drive engagement and stand out.
In this Insight:
The figures reflect this upward trend. In 2024, the Super Bowl drew an average of 370,000 viewers on M6, peaking at 600,000. The game also achieved a 24% audience share among 25–49-year-olds, a particularly strategic demographic for advertisers. A year earlier, the event had attracted an average of 270,000 viewers on L’Équipe. (Source : Foot US. Audience en hausse pour le Super Bowl sur M6 - Sport Business Club)
While this growth can partly be attributed to the greater exposure provided by M6, it also highlights the NFL’s potential in the French market when given accessible, mainstream coverage. This visibility is set to increase further this season with broader broadcast coverage. Alongside beIN Sports, the competition’s long-standing broadcaster, La Chaîne L’Équipe now airs one free-to-air game every Sunday evening, as well as one game from each round of the playoffs and the Super Bowl. France Télévisions, meanwhile, will broadcast the game held in Paris.
But French interest in the NFL is no longer limited to Super Bowl night.
Throughout the season, the growing volume of content, increased media coverage of major franchises and their players, and the rising activity of fan communities are helping the league gradually become part of the French audience’s viewing habits.
The NFL is not just a spectacular annual event, but a world that fans follow, discuss and share throughout the season.
According to data presented by the NFL, France now has more than 14 million NFL fans. This figure puts the scale of the phenomenon into perspective: the NFL is no longer appealing to a niche group of enthusiasts, but to an audience large enough to make France one of its priority markets in Europe. Brett Gosper, the NFL’s Head of Europe and Asia-Pacific, has described France as one of the league’s most important markets, both in Europe and globally. (Source : Interview – NFL à Paris en 2026 - Brett Gosper :« On ne vient pas pour faire un match et partir »)
The New Orleans Saints are a perfect example of this ambition to engage with French audiences throughout the year. Ahead of this historic season, which will see the first-ever NFL regular-season game played in France, the franchise has entrusted SPORTFIVE with the management of its French-language digital channels, including its Instagram account @saints_france. Through editorial strategy, localized content creation, community management and influencer marketing, the Saints aim to grow their fanbase and build lasting connections with a new generation of French supporters.
This localization strategy sends an important signal. While French fans could already follow the entire NFL season, franchises are now looking to build a more direct relationship with them. By offering French-language content tailored to local references and cultural codes, they are bringing their world closer to French audiences and encouraging engagement beyond game days. This shift reflects a desire to turn an existing audience into an active, loyal and engaged community all year round.
The New Orleans Saints’ choice is no coincidence. The franchise has strong cultural and historical ties with France, notably symbolized by the fleur-de-lis featured in its visual identity. The game at the Stade de France is therefore intended to mark the first major milestone in a long-term strategy to establish the franchise in the French market, rather than a one-off initiative.
The organization of the first NFL regular-season game in France is expected to give this momentum a new dimension. Beyond the game itself, the event offers the NFL an opportunity to broaden its audience, bring together its existing fanbase and accelerate its integration into the French sports landscape.
The challenge will also continue beyond the game. The ability of the NFL and its franchises to sustain this attention through content, events and community engagement will determine whether they can turn the success of a single game into a truly lasting presence in France.
For brands, the opportunity is no longer simply about capitalizing on the visibility of the Super Bowl or a one-off marquee game. It is about building an ongoing connection throughout the year and contributing to the development of a genuine NFL culture in France. Digital content, influencer marketing, live experiences and fan activations all offer opportunities for brands to engage within a world at the crossroads of sport, entertainment and popular culture.
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