STUDY: The Tour de France, a meteoric rise
For more than a century, the Tour de France has embodied a certain idea of France. Created in 1903, it remains a popular, free event with strong regional roots, attracting 17 million spectators to the roadsides in 2024. The Tour de France is exceptionally accessible in the global sporting landscape: it is free to watch on the roads and on television in most countries. Its iconic format of 3,500 km divided into 21 stages makes it a unique event. A cumulative audience of 3.5 billion television viewers each year places it among the three most watched competitions in the world.
Rare in modern sport, this accessibility fuels undiminished enthusiasm. But it also requires considerable logistical deployment. Each year, more than 20,000 agents are mobilized to secure the kilometers of roads crossed. The Tour thus becomes an instrument of national influence, supported by the public authorities, and a powerful lever of soft power in the open air.
Behind this open and popular model lies an economic reality: the Grande Boucle has become a global export. Cities in France and abroad are fighting over it, with economic benefits of up to six times the amount invested. Foreign cities pay on average twice as much as others. They represent a strategic growth driver for ASO (Amaury Sport Organisation), the long-standing organizer that is capitalizing fully on this internationalization.
Sponsors are part of the same dynamic. Since the creation of the advertising caravan in 1930, the Tour de France has been an unmissable commercial showcase. Demand remains strong, driven by increased investment from foreign brands attracted by global visibility and an image that remains as popular as ever.
Overall, the Tour de France has become a premium asset for ASO, generating nearly €200 million in 2024. This performance is part of a sustained growth trajectory since the 1980s driven by TV rights. However, this undeniable economic success is based on a highly unbalanced distribution model: cycling teams receive only 5% of the expenditure.
From a popular event rooted in the landscapes and villages of France, the Tour has become much more than a cycling race: it is now a truly global epic, followed around the world and a symbol of the French way of life. This transformation into an international attraction, both sporting, media and economic, embodies the influence of a national event that has become a global brand. Behind this universal showcase, a formidable machine has been put in place, expertly piloted by a single player.
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