Canal + will go to the cashier. The group finally agreed to pay the National Rugby League (LNR) all of what remained to be paid in terms of broadcasting rights, namely 15 million euros, despite the cessation of competitions due to the coronavirus epidemic.
To broadcast the Top 14 and D2, Canal + pays 100 million euros each year. Last February, Canal + was preparing to pay the last 15 million of the year it owes to the LNR, before the matches are interrupted. Despite everything, Canal + will pay well for the fifteen million euros remaining. The chain had however made a reverse choice for football, by paying only part of the remaining TV rights.
A reward for the loyalty of the NRL
"The negotiations were not even that difficult," confides to Europe 1 a source familiar with the matter. "So much the better for rugby", reacts another source, "15 million is huge for a sport like that, while it is not that much money for Canal".
Behind the scenes, it is explained that the encrypted channel wanted to thank the National Rugby League which has always been loyal to it for two decades. Conversely, Canal + is always very vindictive towards the football league, which has constantly raised the stakes between different television channels.