The French football league is now free to begin its search for a new broadcast partner after settling its dispute with the current domestic rights holder DAZN.
In a deal agreed last July, DAZN agreed to pay the LFP €400 million a year for the rights to show most of the Ligue 1 programme between 2024 and 2029. After disappointing subscriber numbers and rancour over what had been done to prevent piracy, the two parties headed to the courts.
DAZN had withheld part of its contract fee, leading to concerns that some clubs might go out of business. The London-based broadcaster has now released the LFP from the exclusivity clause within its contract.
Immediately, speculation has begun that Canal+, the League’s partner of 30 years until its head was turned by 2018’s ill-fated deal with rights broker Mediapro, might step up once more.
CVC Capital Partners has invested €1.5 billion in the League to help shore up its finances and has recently hired Nicolas de Tavernost, the ex-president of commercial broadcaster M6, has an advisor. His appointment was welcomed by Canal+ CEO Maxime Saada.
An alternative is that the League might set up its own channel in a revival of a proposal already on the table before the DAZN rights deal was agreed. DAZN has proposed to invest £100 million in the League’s channel project, an amount equal to the break clause were DAZN to choose to pull out of the project altogether.
