Just as it was facing the prospect of a massive hole in its finances after the collapse of the deal with its original majority rights holder Mediapro, the League de Football Professionnel (LFP), which runs the Ligue 1 top flight French football league, has announced that minority rights holder Canal+ has stepped into the gap for the end of the current season.
As the 2020/21 football season began, Ligue 1 TV rights were shared by Spanish pay-TV firm Mediapro, which claimed 80%, and French pay-TV group Canal+ which took the rest. Mediapro’s deal amounted to paying €780 million for annual TV rights deal to screen Ligue 1 action for four seasons, yet barely after the beginning of the 2020/2021 season Mediapro failed to meet a scheduled October 2020 payment if €172 million. The company claimed that Covid-19 postponements had diminished broadcasting rights value and sought to obtain a discount on its payment programme.
Mediapro was unsuccessful in this regard and after failing to meet its scheduled December 2020 payment, its contract with the LFP was terminated. After looking to leading lights in the TV world to fill the breach, just days ago the LFP revealed it was considering offers from Amazon, Discovery and DAZN. However, the bids from these companies proved below the value that the LFP was willing to accept.
Having noted that after the unsuccessful conclusions to these negotiations it was giving itself 48 hours to define the next steps in the marketing of its rights, the LFP announced that it had agreed terms with Canal+ to cover the rest of the current seasons for not only Ligue 1 Uber Eats but also Ligue 2 BKT for the rest of 2020-2021.
From Matchday 25 of Ligue 1 Uber Eats and Ligue 2 BKT, the new rights package will see Canal + Group have exclusive, live and full audiovisual rights each day of the League 1 Uber Eats matches and eight of the ten Ligue 2 BKT matches. In addition to the rights to these matches, the Canal + Group will have full magazine rights during the week and at weekends.
Mediapro was unsuccessful in this regard and after failing to meet its scheduled December 2020 payment, its contract with the LFP was terminated. After looking to leading lights in the TV world to fill the breach, just days ago the LFP revealed it was considering offers from Amazon, Discovery and DAZN. However, the bids from these companies proved below the value that the LFP was willing to accept.
Having noted that after the unsuccessful conclusions to these negotiations it was giving itself 48 hours to define the next steps in the marketing of its rights, the LFP announced that it had agreed terms with Canal+ to cover the rest of the current seasons for not only Ligue 1 Uber Eats but also Ligue 2 BKT for the rest of 2020-2021.
From Matchday 25 of Ligue 1 Uber Eats and Ligue 2 BKT, the new rights package will see Canal + Group have exclusive, live and full audiovisual rights each day of the League 1 Uber Eats matches and eight of the ten Ligue 2 BKT matches. In addition to the rights to these matches, the Canal + Group will have full magazine rights during the week and at weekends.
