The Spanish structure, which has bought for nearly 800 million euros per season rights League 1 for the period 2020-2024, now holds his French boss.

Last Saturday on Europe 1, Didier Quillot, the managing director of the Professional Football League (LFP), spoke about imminent announcements concerning Mediapro. The Sino-Spanish media group on Tuesday formalized the appointment of Julien Bergeaud as head of his future French television channel, which holds the majority of Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 rights for 2020-2024.

A great connoisseur of TV rights

Unknown to the general public but experienced professional in the world of sports television, Julien Bergeaud worked for 20 years at Eurosport, where he was director of acquisitions, rights, programs for channels now owned by the US group Discovery. He knows the TV rights file by heart. "The project to create the French football channel is fantastic and I am very happy to join Mediapro to take up this challenge," he said, quoted in the Mediapro press release.

Mediapro had created the surprise in France by buying in 2018 the majority of rights for the 2020-2024 period for nearly 800 million euros, grabbing the best posters to the nose and beard of Canal + which broadcasted the championship of France since 1984 The channel will broadcast nine matches per day in Ligue 1 - out of ten - and eight out of ten for Ligue 2, with the rest of the rights going to BeIN Sports.

One year to launch a chain

The profile of the French boss Mediapro also gives valuable guidance on the strategy of the Spanish, who could share a portion of their purchases, namely matches and magazines, with other channels or distributors such as Canal +, BeIn Sports or RMC Sport . Negotiations will begin quickly. Because time is running out: Mediapro must also launch its own channel or network "from the summer of 2020". In less than a year, he must find premises, channels of dissemination, obtain the green light of the CSA, hire journalists, technicians and consultants.

This announcement should in any case calm the growing annoyance of many club presidents face the deafening silence of the future channel. It is less sure regarding the viewers ... Price of the planned subscription: 25 euros per month, just for Ligue 1.