Top-flight French soccer clubs are reportedly at odds with BeIN Sports over a proposed sponsorship element in the broadcaster's domestic rights negotiations with Ligue 1. The dispute arises from BeIN Sports' alleged request to have a Visit Qatar logo placed on the shirts of Ligue 1 teams during live matches next season.

The request is said to have been made by Nasser al-Khelaifi, chairman of Qatari-owned company BeIN and president of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), during a meeting with several Ligue 1 club presidents. However, sources close to both BeIN and PSG have denied such a request was made.

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BeIN’s original agreement with France’s Professional Football League (LFP) reportedly included only €50 million per year in TV rights, with the rest being made up through sponsorship deals. This has caused tension among senior club figures who claim that asking players to wear Visit Qatar badges is unacceptable.

Lyon owner leading the protest

Earlier this month, after an extended search for domestic broadcasters, LFP reached an agreement with global streaming service DAZN and BeIN. DAZN secured the main package of rights for most live Ligue 1 matches until 2029 while BeIN agreed to pay €100 million per season for one top match per week.

However, negotiations between LFP and BeIn are ongoing as they discuss potential sponsorship elements within their contract. According to reports from The Guardian, these discussions are "extremely complex."

One Ligue 1 club owner said:

“What if I want to bring in Saudi money as an investor?
“They’re trying to build a captive league. It’s my understanding after the call among the presidents that there are a lot of new terms that are being put on the table.”
The source at PSG and BeIN Sports described the claims as “an outrageous campaign from those clubs who want to launch an LFP channel direct, rather than have traditional broadcasters.”

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Despite initial criticism from Olympique Lyonnais American owner John Textor who preferred games on dedicated streaming services, DAZN will pay €400 million per season for eight out of nine games each round until the end of the 2028-29 season.

Previous broadcast deals and BeIN's record viewership

In the previous Ligue 1 cycle, Amazon paid €250 million per year to show eight matches per week through its Prime video streaming service. Canal Plus, a pay-TV heavyweight, paid €332 million annually for two matches. In May, LFP appointed the Infront agency to manage international media rights for Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 in several global markets across Europe, Asia, and Oceania. The body expects to receive around €160 million from these international rights.

Meanwhile, BeIN Sports has set a new viewership record with its coverage of the UEFA European Championship national teams tournament in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The broadcaster generated over 1.2 billion views during this month-long tournament held in Germany - a significant increase from Euro 2020 which garnered 960 million views across an equal number of matches.

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The Euro 2024 final match between Spain and England attracted more than 95.2 million viewers - almost a 50% increase from Euro 2020's final match which had drawn in about 64.4 million viewers. BeIN also reported record numbers on its digital and social media platforms with total cumulative impressions rising by over two-fold compared to Euro 2020.

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