As Roland Garros 2025 gets underway on Nine, 9GemHD, 9Now, and Stan Sport, the spotlight is squarely on the red clay of Paris, and not just for the tennis. With prime time broadcast coverage, global viewership in the tens of millions, and marquee matchups featuring the likes of Novak Djokovic, Iga Swiatek, and our very own homegrown hero Alex de Minaur, this Grand Slam is also a showcase of the world’s most valuable sporting real estate: centre court sponsorship.
According to the Sport Event Analysis: French Open 2024 report, the average cost of an annual sponsorship deal at the French Open is a staggering $4.8 million. However, for those seeking serious cut-through, such as a logo on centre court, branded backdrops, or top-tier digital integration, the price rises significantly.
BNP Paribas, Emirates Airline, Engie, and Orange are each estimated to spend more than $7 million annually for top-tier placement. These partnerships aren’t just about visibility, but long-standing relationships: c has been the tournament’s main partner since 1973, meanwhile Orange has held a long-term telecoms deal for decades.
Meanwhile, Renault’s five-year partnership, announced in 2022, is reportedly worth $30 million, positioning the automaker as a premium partner with a focus on sustainable mobility and electric vehicle transport for players and officials.
The tournament boasts 22 official commercial partners in 2025, with other notable names including Lacoste, Rolex, Infosys, Perrier, and Wilson. While not all sponsorship values are publicly disclosed, the tiered structure ensures that brands pay in line with their prominence, ranging from digital-only integrations to physical on-court signage and hospitality rights.
The return on that investment? Exposure to a massive, global audience. The French Open’s media rights reach virtually every corner of the world. France Télévisions and Eurosport deliver wall-to-wall coverage across Europe. ESPN handles Latin America. BeIN Sports covers Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. NBC holds the rights in the US. In 2024, the men’s final alone attracted over 7 million viewers in France, not to mention millions more via international feeds and streaming. In Australia, the Nine Network delivers a hybrid model of free-to-air coverage and full streaming via Stan Sport.
Locally, Nine’s commitment to the tournament is significant. From Sunday, May 25, Australians can watch every match live and on demand, with two courts in 4K on Stan Sport. Fan favourites Todd Woodbridge, Jelena Dokic, and Thanasi Kokkinakis provide expert analysis, while Brenton Speed leads live commentary.
Nine’s commitment to the tournament, part of its year-round Grand Slam strategy, offers viewers as much prime-time access as is possible given the late Paris time zone. And while the French Open can’t match the Australian Open’s blockbuster domestic ratings, with more than 10 million tuning in locally in 2024, its value to sponsors lies in its international reach and prestige.
Compared to the other Grand Slams, Roland Garros holds its own. The estimated top-tier sponsor fees are lower than Wimbledon’s (£20 million from Barclays) or the Australian Open’s ($20 million from Kia), but the French tournament compensates with longevity and legacy.
A Mutual Benefit
In addition to the significant financial investment required for this type of sponsorship, brands achieve a high level of integration with the tournament, embedding their identity into various aspects of the event, from on-site branding and digital campaigns to exclusive content and fan engagement activities, creating a seamless and immersive brand presence that aligns with the tournament’s atmosphere and audience expectations.
BNP Paribas has been supporting ball kids since the 70’s and has been involved in helping to select them throughout France since 2000
“Our relationship with tennis began in 1973 when the French Tennis Federation (FFT) asked BNP to finance the construction of the boxes on the central court at Roland-Garros. To acknowledge this support, three letters were displayed on the famous tarpaulin, and so BNP duly became the official sponsor of Roland-Garros, now one of the world’s leading sporting events. This was the first in a long line of partnerships that have been extended to prestigious tournaments and professional competitions around the globe,” the bank said earlier this month, launching its 2025 campaign.
Lacoste also plays a significant role in the French Open. Resigning in 2024 until the end of 2030, the brand maintains its current visibility with spaces in the Village and on the Philippe-Chatrier court, at the Grande Boutique, as well as 100 square meters of retail space throughout the stadium. The Crocodile brand also continues to provide outfits for referees, ball boys and girls, hostesses, and children participating in the “Entrée de rêve” operation, which allows young people to accompany players to their chairs as they enter the court.
This agreement also includes the design of a 100% eco-friendly co-branded collection, covering textiles, footwear, underwear, and leather goods.
“Our presence at Roland-Garros for over 50 years is natural for us given our inextricable ties. Being a partner of this cornerstone of French and global tennis fully aligns with Lacoste’s unique fashion-sport vision, which celebrates its tennis roots every day. Being part of Roland-Garros contributes to the prominence of our craftsmanship and the French elegance we embody. We are delighted to continue our collaboration for an additional five years,” explained Thierry Guibert, CEO of Lacoste, when the deal was sealed last year.
“We are very proud to extend our wonderful history with Lacoste, both with Roland-Garros and the FFT, thus ensuring the longevity of this unique and historic partnership. The Crocodile brand will continue to elegantly dress our ball boys and girls, as well as our referees during Roland-Garros, and all our French teams. We are also very pleased that Lacoste is participating in the ‘Tennis Wall’ operation, enabling the renovation of training walls, an initiative that should be particularly appreciated by our clubs,” explained Gilles Moretton, President of the French Tennis Federation.
For brands, securing a logo at Roland Garros isn’t just about ad impressions. It’s about aligning with tradition, performance, and global sophistication. On one of sport’s most elegant stages, the clay may be red, but the price of presence is pure gold.
