The LFP and Canal + have an appointment on March 11 at the Paris Commercial Court.

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FRANCK FIFE / AFP

Hey, it's been a long time since we last talked about TV rights.

While Canal took over the baby Ligue 1 until the end of the season, it is now towards the Paris commercial court that all eyes are on.

On March 11, in fact, the latter will render its decision in the dispute between the Professional Football League (LFP) and broadcasters Canal + and beIN Sports on the mode of reallocation of TV rights to Ligue 1 after the failure of Mediapro.

While the LFP put into play the only lots left vacant by the Sino-Spanish group, covering 80% of the L1, the two chains contested this modality and demanded a global call for tenders on all the lots, including that obtained by beIN Sports and sublicensed by Canal + for 330 million euros, an amount now considered overvalued by the encrypted channel.

Canal's "absolute bad faith" for LFP lawyers

For the lawyers of the two chains present Tuesday at the hearing, the League, by refusing the restitution of this lot and the holding of a global call for tenders, committed an "abuse of dominant position" and a "discrimination".

The Competition Authority was also seized by Canal + and could take several months to rule.

"The lots were separate, they were autonomous at the time of their marketing", pleaded for his part Me Yves Wehrli, lawyer of the LFP, denouncing an "absolute bad faith" on behalf of the Canal +.

But the Vivendi group channel continues to dispute the validity of this call for tenders, asserting that the League should also have put into play the lot it was already exploiting (two matches per day) and believing that it is paying too much since the TV rights market prices have fallen considerably since then.

In addition, another legal case remains in progress between Canal + and the LFP.

The channel asks 46 million euros from the League after the rescheduling of many matches during the demonstrations of "yellow vests" during the 2018-2019 season.

This file should be judged at the start of the school year.

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