TCL, sponsor of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Games: always close to the action

TCL's strategy has long relied on powerful but segmented partnerships (Neymar, the French national rugby team, FIBA), before adopting a multi-sport communication approach in 2024 with the slogan "Closer to the action." Today, with a global partnership with the IOC until 2032, you are joining the TOP program by becoming an official supplier of home audiovisual equipment. How does TCL plan to leverage this exceptional exposure? ED: Sport has long been an integral part of TCL's DNA. We associate ourselves with this world because it embodies values of excellence and performance that perfectly align with those of the brand. It is therefore only natural that we are delighted to become a partner of the Olympic Games, which represent for us the ultimate sporting event: a global gathering bringing together athletes from all backgrounds. The objective is clear: to continue increasing TCL's brand awareness, both in France and worldwide. To give you an idea, our latest brand awareness studies show a 6-point increase year-over-year. TCL is now the TV brand with the most progress in this area, with 74% aided brand awareness. There is obviously still room for growth, but these results confirm that our investments are paying off. TCL's strength in sports partnerships also lies in our ability to activate them locally to make them more impactful and memorable for consumers. It is with this in mind that we have partnered with Martin Fourcade, the most decorated French Olympian with six gold medals, and Clément Noël, recently announced as the flag bearer for the French team. These two ambassadors perfectly embody the brand's values. We are also deploying an exceptional media strategy. TCL is sponsoring both broadcasters of the Olympic Games in France: Eurosport, with nearly 1,000 spots during the Games, and France Télévisions, where we are among the three main sponsors. This will also be a key moment to reconnect with our distribution partners and generate buzz around the event. The Winter Games haven't been held in Europe for over 18 years, and we expect strong enthusiasm from French consumers, building on the still very strong momentum of Paris 2024. The "Up Close to the Feats" campaign launched in 2024 brought together rugby, football, and athletics. How is this tagline evolving with the Milan-Cortina Olympics? Is TCL's technological achievement (Mini LED, very large sizes, quality to rival OLED) inseparable from the sporting achievement? ED: We are fully maintaining the "Up Close to the Feats" tagline. A brand platform needs time to establish itself, and this Olympic year, also marked by major football and rugby competitions, gives it even more strength and coherence. This signature allows us to permanently associate TCL with sport and its values of excellence and performance. It will therefore remain the central theme of our communication. The technological achievement is, of course, part of this narrative. We illustrated it in our advertising campaigns, notably in June with Thomas Ramos around the Mini LED. The idea was to show that, whether passionate about sports, a gamer, or a film and series enthusiast, Mini LED technology and very large screen sizes offer immersion and image quality adapted to all uses. Why did you choose Martin Fourcade and Clément Noël to represent TCL during these Winter Games? ED: This choice is based on two strong ideas. Martin Fourcade embodies an exceptional status: he is the most decorated French athlete at the Olympic Games, with strong values of performance, resilience, and commitment. He has also made a significant contribution to the growth and popularity of biathlon. Clément Noël represents the athlete in action. Already an Olympic gold medalist, he will be at the heart of the Games and will carry the French team flag. We loved the idea of this complementary duo: a mentor and an active competitor, two different sports, but a shared pursuit of excellence. This partnership also allows us to create engaging activations, particularly on social media. Recently, we organized a meeting between Martin Fourcade and 50 supporters of the Allez les Bleus collective, within the TCL universe, to bring this partnership and its values to life. Are the Winter Olympics the ideal platform to showcase TCL's Mini LED technology and XXL screens? ED: Consumer studies show that the main reasons for changing televisions are, in order: screen size, brand trust, and picture quality. The Olympic Games are therefore an ideal time to meet these expectations. We have been working for several years to associate the TCL brand with innovation and to democratize access to large screen sizes. Mini LED technology, with its versatility, brightness, and number of zones, offers remarkable picture quality, regardless of the content or lighting conditions. Our message is based primarily on this picture quality, while maintaining a controlled price-performance ratio. The Winter Games, with their wide open spaces and natural scenery, are indeed an ideal showcase. What does the Athlete Moments program supported by TCL represent? ED: After each competition, the athlete will have access to a dedicated space to contact a loved one live, whose contact information they will have previously provided. They will then be able to share their initial emotions after the event, in front of a TCL screen. This program perfectly illustrates our vision of sport: a moment of sharing, unifying, intergenerational, transcending cultural or social differences. Is the objective also to evolve TCL's image towards a global consumer electronics brand? ED: Yes, clearly. TCL is historically known for its televisions, but the group is now present across the entire high-tech landscape: soundbars, monitors, air conditioning, refrigerators, washing machines. The Olympic campaign is first and foremost a brand awareness campaign. It aims to associate TCL with a global, premium, high-tech world. At other times of the year, we roll out campaigns more focused on product benefits, such as this summer with commercials dedicated to the Mini LED or our Mega Space refrigerator range. These approaches are complementary and part of a coherent strategy. The partnership with the IOC runs until 2032, encompassing the future 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps. How is the French Marketing Director preparing for this 6-year marathon so that TCL becomes the preferred brand for the French to follow tomorrow's achievements? ED: The partnership with the Games in Italy offers us a unique opportunity to anticipate the 2030 deadline. We are already working with the French National Olympic and Sports Committee and have begun discussions with the organizing teams. We are closely observing what is being implemented in Italy in order to learn the best lessons. TCL's ability to activate global partnerships locally is one of our greatest strengths. In Italy, for example, we sponsored the Christmas tree installed in front of the Milan Cathedral to anchor the partnership locally. There will, of course, be specific activations in France as we approach 2030. These are still being developed, but emotion and local connection will be at the heart of these initiatives. Technological immersion at the heart of Milan-Cortina: the TCL ecosystem in action. Beyond public communication, TCL's commitment as a TOP partner is demonstrated by a massive deployment of audiovisual and home solutions within the Olympic infrastructure itself. A presence on the ground that goes far beyond televisions. In the media space, the brand makes a strong statement with the installation of its giant 115-inch (292 cm) TCL 115X955MX screen, a flagship of Mini LED technology, accompanied by air conditioning solutions, TCL FlexConnect Z100 Dolby Atmos speakers, a TCL refrigerator and a TCL NXTVision Art TV.

The journey continues in the official Lodge, where innovation becomes more intimate with the highlighting of the brand's connected glasses, while the Media Working Space, the nerve center for the international press, benefits from a TCL 98C8K TV (249 cm) and comfort equipment by TCL (refrigerator, air conditioner, etc.). By equipping strategic areas of the village and press centers, the manufacturer is no longer simply a sponsor of the event: it is providing part of the technological infrastructure that allows those involved in the Games to experience the competition with the same level of expectation as consumers in their living rooms.