The French hunger for watching biathlon is exploding: Millions watched the biathlon World Cup last weekend.

During the biathlon World Cup in Annecy-Le Grand Bornand, France, December 16 to 19, millions of French spectators caught the action live on TV. 

According to the French TV channel L’Equipe, more than 1.6 million watched the men’s mass start on Sunday. And more than 1.4 million watched the women’s mass start earlier the same day. 

For comparison, less than 300 000 Norwegians watched the various biathlon events during the IBU World Cup opener in Östersund, Sweden, the last weekend in November. 

Increasing interest 
The interest in biathlon as a sport and a TV sport is rapidly growing in France. The incredible success of French biathlete Martin Fourcade contributed to that trend. But even after Fourcade retired, the French interest in biathlon continues to increase. 

France still has several strong biathletes. Emilien Jacquelin, who won the men’s mass start on Sunday in front of nearly 20,000 cheering fans in Annecy-Le Grand Bornand, and Quentin Fillon Maillet, who won the pursuit on Saturday, are now sitting in first and second place, respectively, in the overall World Cup. 

Among the French women, Anaïs Bescond is preparing for her fourth Olympics. She was second in the sprint in Annecy-Le Grand Bornand on Friday. On Saturday and Sunday, Julia Simon was second in the pursuit and the mass start. 

Results like that generate interest and engagement, making biathlon a hot commodity for the broadcasting companies. 

Open access at least through 2026
EBU (European Broadcasting Union) has bought the global broadcasting rights to the IBU biathlon world cup and championships, on all platforms. EBU is the alliance of public service media in Europe. 

L’Equipe recently renegotiated their agreement with the EBU, which means that French viewers have free access to all IBU biathlon world cup and championships on open TV channels at least through the 2025/26 season. 

“Biathlon and the L’Équipe channel owe each other a lot. They have grown up with each other since 2015,” said Jérôme Saporito, director of L’Équipe’s television division, after securing the rights last week. 

“I am particularly happy, for us, and for biathlon, but above all for the millions of viewers who follow this drama free of charge each winter, and the athletes who animate it.”