Posted on 01/19/2021
3 min read
More broadcast than before, women’s sport only timidly breaks through on television screens, but its promoters think they can set up “a virtuous circle”: encourage practice, “break prejudices” and also make it a show that sells.
“We are making progress, but we still have a good margin of improvement!“, summarizes Nodjialem Myaro, president of the Women’s Handball League and 2003 world champion.
This week, the Superior Audiovisual Council (CSA) is continuing the operation “Women’s sport always”, initiated in 2014 and intended to increase the visibility of sportswomen in the media. In a few years, women’s sports broadcasts have passed the 10% mark (between 14% and 18% in 2016)
But, the 20% target posted in 2020 has fallen into the water because of the Covid.
“This is the theory of small steps, there is a better consideration of broadcasters on this subject“, explains Carole Gomez, researcher in the geopolitics of sport at Iris (Institute of International and Strategic Relations).
“International and national federations are realizing that this is a new product and have a real marketing approach by saying to themselves that the reservoir of consumers for sport masculine may have reached its limit“, she decrypts, with” the media and sponsors who seek to develop markets “.
“Do the same”
Thierry Cheleman, current director of Sports for Canal +, had bet on women’s football in 2009 on D8, he recalls. Canal + bought the rights to Women’s Division 1 in 2018 for five years. “Our goal is to make it a great championship,” he told AFP, highlighting “the acceleration of the game which makes it a beautiful spectacle“. Even if he does not hide that there is still”a lot of work to do“in matters of women’s sport.
The success of the 2019 Women’s Football World Cup in France triggered registrations under the blessing of the French Football Federation (FFF) which pursues a proactive policy.
A few years before, women’s rugby had also garnered new recruits after the broadcast of the World Cup, observes Carole Gomez. “We must manage to trigger this virtuous circle“, she explains.”Seeing women’s football and rugby is quite recent“, she notes, and allows”break a number of prejudices“.
Without media coverage, no models. No possibility of “dream of doing the same“for young girls in front of the goal, the basket or on the mats, as the Minister of Sports, Roxana Maracineanu, explains in an interview with AFP.
“Shy evolution”
“Me, my models, it was Stéphane Stoecklin and Frédéric Volle!“, handball players of the Barjots team, world champions in 1995, of which she had the posters, says Nodjialem Myaro.”We have to get out of the vicious circle: there is no audience, so it’s not watched, so it’s not broadcast, so there will be less audience …“, she pleads.
Despite its results, the women’s hand had some setbacks in 2019 with the withdrawal of the BeIN channel, the state coming to the aid of the championship, broadcast on Sport in France, channel of the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF).
Questioned by AFP, judoka Clarisse Abgenenou also considers it important to exist, including “outside of judo”, enough to feed reports and documentaries.
“I also had problems with women, I also work to have a life outside of judo, I also want to be a mother, we have other activities outside of sport, it’s good to talk about it. has a history. The life of sportswomen as such is interesting “, she explains.
Current president of the French Basketball Federation (FFB), Jean-Pierre Siutat, remembers the sudden notoriety of French basketball players after their silver medal at the London Olympics in 2012. “They were recognized when they stopped at gas stations!“.
However, he adds, if it is “changing in the mentality of the partners, it is still very shy“, he adds, making himself strong with other personalities in the world of sport to work at”a standard for a French professional women’s sport“, with behind, the question of the status and the remuneration of the players.
Slide: These 10 inspiring sportswomen who fight against stereotypes
Doctissimo will be a partner of the event on its FaceBook and Instagram accounts, in particular by offering debates around stereotypes in sport or testimonials from sports influencers.