TF1 Business Solutions, the advertising arm of the French TF1 group, has signed a licensing representation agreement between its subsidiary TF1 Licensing and Team Vitality, the French esports organisation, the companies announced on 24 September. TF1 Licensing will develop the Vitality brand through merchandise, brand content and events aimed at a young audience, adding it to a catalogue that includes The Voice, Koh-Lanta and Star Academy.
A car on the roster
The first campaign under the deal was built by TF1 Factory, the TF1 group's creative and production agency for brands, for the carmaker BYD, around the launch of the BYD Dolphin G during the Esports World Cup in Paris. The idea is that the car does not just sponsor the team: it joins the roster as a new member, the "New (G)amer". The campaign runs in two formats, a trailer that presents the car as a new player and translates its technical specifications into gaming terms, and short clips for social media shot with an onboard camera, with Team Vitality's Rocket League players inside the vehicle.
BYD France had already been named Team Vitality's official vehicle supplier for the summer in July, with the Dolphin G DM-i plug-in hybrid carrying players and teams, as The Esports Advocate reported at the time.
A Paris summer
The timing owes a lot to Paris. The Esports World Cup, held in Riyadh in its previous editions, moved this year to Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, from 2 July to 23 August, because of security concerns linked to the war with Iran. Team Vitality finished third on the global podium for the second consecutive time and was the most-watched club of the competition, with 48.31 million hours viewed, nearly 19% ahead of the second-ranked club, among 16 qualified teams. Over seven weeks its booth welcomed more than 20,000 visitors.
What the club brings
Team Vitality was founded in 2013 by Fabien "Neo" Devide and Nicolas Maurer and was named Best Team of 2025 at the Esports Awards and the Game Awards. It claims more than 23 million engaged fans and an annual reach of 115 million people in 2025, with 84% of its audience aged 18 to 34. It has its performance centre at the Stade de France in Paris, a presence in Berlin and in Jakarta, through an alliance with Bigetron, and partners including E.Leclerc, Nescafé, Unilever and Crédit Agricole.
"Team Vitality's strong values, brand recognition and ability to engage the general public offer fantastic prospects for this collaboration," said Tatiana Rivière-Cherqui, director of TF1 Licensing. "Through this multidimensional partnership, we aim to create new opportunities at the intersection of sports, entertainment, media, and brands," said Amélie Canet, Chief Marketing Officer of Team Vitality.
