Paris (AFP)
The Qatari channel beIN Sports on Thursday appealed to Canal + before the commercial court of Nanterre in order to force it to respect the contract binding them for the broadcasting of two Ligue 1 matches per day for 332 million euros, a-t - we learned from a source close to the negotiations.
Canal +, which has announced its desire to withdraw from L1 since the LFP awarded 80% of matches to Amazon Prime in mid-June, has not honored a first payment of 500,000 euros to beIN sports, according to this source.
"It is marginal compared to the contract but it is a first failure," said the source.
This non-payment is indeed the first breach of the contract between the two broadcasters since 2018 contracted after the call for tenders of the LFP.
At the time, the Sino-Spanish group Mediapro had won 80% of L1 matches for 780 million euros and the Qatari channel obtained lot 3 (two matches) for 332 million euros per year.
She then sublicensed this lot to Canal +.
But since the failure of Mediapro, the cards have been redistributed and Canal + finds itself in a situation where it must pay 332 million euros for two matches per day of L1, and Amazon 259 million euros for 8 matches.
"It is an economic distortion which can not suit anyone. Canal + is right to fight so that this is not allowed", analyzes a source close to the two broadcasters.
The encrypted channel had sent a letter to beIN sports on Tuesday, explaining to it that it was suspending its sub-license contract binding it with the Qatari channel, an option that is obviously not suitable for Sports, yet allies of the encrypted channel since 2018.
Joined by AFP, neither Canal + nor beIN Sports wished to comment.
On August 5, Canal + is supposed to make a second payment of several tens of millions of euros to beIN Sports, so that the Qatari channel then pays the LFP.
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