beIN Sports has been ordered to pay outstanding Ligue 1 rights fees after the Paris commercial court ruled in favour of LFP Media, the French Professional Football League’s commercial arm, in a dispute over this season’s contract.
According to L’Équipe, beIN Sports had withheld part of its scheduled payments after objecting to broadcast restrictions attached to its Saturday afternoon Ligue 1 match package. The court dismissed the broadcaster’s claims and ordered payment of “the sum of €14,130,000 for outstanding balances” owed to LFP Media.
beIN Sports indicated it will consider an appeal. “We acknowledge the decision rendered in the first instance by the Court and will, of course, immediately explore all possible avenues of appeal,” beIN Sports told L’Équipe. “LFP Media’s persistent refusal to engage in constructive dialogue regarding our legitimate and reasonable concerns—going so far as to reject any attempt at mediation—has forced us to take this action. The fact that LFP Media regularly finds itself in court against its current and former broadcasters—who nevertheless constitute the clubs’ main source of revenue—unlike any other major football league, is in itself revealing and explains the current, particularly worrying financial situation.”
L’Équipe reports that beIN Sports had also been seeking compensation, while continuing to pay only part of the instalments due under the deal.
The report also notes that beIN Sports is due to exit Ligue 1 coverage from next season, as the league prepares to move distribution to its own platform, Ligue 1+.
The report was first published by L’Équipe.
