TV rights of Ligue 1: price at 800 million euros per season

Europe 1 with AFP / Photo credit: JAAK MOINEAU / HANS LUCAS / HANS LUCAS VIA AFP 16:11 p.m., September 12, 2023

The live TV broadcasting rights of Ligue 1 for the period 2024-2029 have been put at a price of 800 million euros per season for the French market, announced Tuesday the Professional Football League (LFP) at a press conference. The LFP offers two sets of live matches. Lot 1 consists of three matches (the first two picks of each day as well as the fourth choice), priced at €530 million per season; Lot 2 includes six meetings (the third choice and the meetings of choice 5 to 9), priced at 270 million euros. Candidates have until October 16 to position themselves, before "ascending bidding".

"Rethinking our model"

"Our rights will be marketed for the first time for a period of five years (against four previously, editor's note), this is very good news for the LFP, our future partners and the consumer," said LFP president Vincent Labrune. "French football has experienced a period of very strong turbulence," he acknowledged, referring to the "triple Covid tsunami, forced shutdown of the competition, failure of Mediapro", the Sino-Spanish group that had won the main rights for the period 2020-2024 for a record amount but proved to be unable to honor its commitments. This "immediately convinced us to rethink our model," added Vincent Labrune.

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Asked about the high amount and tight timing of the bid, he said: "We are naturally optimistic, (...) We're used to this kind of challenge." The passage of the L1 from 20 to 18 clubs, the record attendance in the stadiums at the beginning of the season as well as the massive recruitment investments this summer of French clubs - the L1 was the second most expensive league in Europe behind the English Premier League -, will help the LFP to sell the rights, Calculate. Currently and until 2024, Amazon Prime with seven matches and Canal+ with two matches sharing the broadcasting rights of French football.

The new call for tenders launched Tuesday has its share of uncertainties, starting with the behavior of Canal +, in conflict with the LFP. French football is also wondering about a possible positioning of the sports streaming platform DAZN.