6.6 Million New Fans: Explosive Global Growth

Unprecedented international momentum

+16% growth in Ligue 1’s social media followers this season.
6.6 million new fans gained, 96% of whom are international.
Ligue 1 has now established itself as a truly global brand.
Samba Digital is driving this transformation through a strategy based on targeted, localized, and scalable content, designed to attract and retain international audiences.
Ligue 1 is becoming a global league. Samba is the catalyst behind it.

3.3 Billion impressions: Massive and controlled reach

Our digital campaigns generated more than 3.3 billion impressions across all formats.
This is proof that our editorial ecosystem — built for performance and virality — successfully reaches the right audiences, at the right time, on the right platforms.
We’re not just chasing visibility. We create a constant, relevant presence in the digital world of football fans around the globe.

TikTok leadership: 1.96 Billion video views

TikTok became Ligue 1’s #1 media channel.
We generated nearly 2 billion total video views this season.
This success stems from short, dynamic, algorithm-optimized content, all localized by language for maximum impact.

@ligue1 1st Ligue 1 title for Kvaratskhelia 🇬🇪🏆 #SportsTikTok #kvaratskhelia #Ligue1Mcdonalds #football #Ligue1 #footballedit #trophy #psg #paris #champion @OneFootball @psg @Setanta Sports Georgia ♬ Acharuli – Armenian speed up

TikTok: Ligue 1 becomes a european leader

This season, Ligue 1 entered the Top 3 European leagues on TikTok, surpassing both Serie A and Bundesliga on all major KPIs:
number of posts, total views, and engagement rate.
Thanks to Samba Digital, Ligue 1 is now the league that connects best with younger generations, on the world’s most consumed platform.

162 Million engagements: Audiences are no longer passive

Views matter. But engagement is key.
This season, Samba-produced or managed content delivered 162 million interactions, likes, shares, comments, reposts.
This level of engagement signals deep emotional connection to the Ligue 1 brand and shows our ability to spark conversations, inspire emotion, and build loyalty.

€36.8M in media value: A spectacular return on investment

The media value generated by our activations reached €36.8 million this season.
Compared to the base budget, this translates into a 60x ROI.
In other words, every €1 invested in Samba Digital’s social media strategy generated €60 in earned media.
That’s an exceptional level of efficiency in the world of sports marketing.

Instagram: Less content, bigger results

Despite accounting for only 15% of the total number of posts, our content was responsible for 44% of all new Instagram followers for Ligue 1 this season.
This is proof that Samba Digital’s approach focuses on quality, precision targeting, and editorial strength, not volume.
Our content is designed to convert, not just exist.

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Une publication partagée par Ligue 1 McDonald’s (@ligue1mcdonalds)

YouTube Shorts: Samba dominates the #1 video format

We produced 37 of the top 50 YouTube Shorts for Ligue 1 this season, driving 85% of the views among the Top 50 alone.
By mastering the ultra-short vertical format, we turned YouTube into a major organic acquisition and engagement channel.
Samba Digital is at the forefront of next-generation video content.

X (Twitter): Exceptional multilingual performance

On X, formerly Twitter, Samba positioned Ligue 1 as a top-performing league across multiple languages:

• 49% of the top posts in English,

• 64% in Spanish,

• 47% in Portuguese.

Our local editorial teams crafted relevant, witty, and culturally tuned content tailored to each audience.
The result: a loyal, highly engaged, and fast-growing fanbase.