Amazon's Prime Video OTT service has broadened its live sports offerings in the UK by introducing matches from French soccer's top-tier Ligue 1 on a pay-per-view (PPV) basis. This move is set to enhance the viewing experience for sports fans and provide additional options for sports betting enthusiasts.
The deal will make up to three Ligue 1 games available each weekend on Prime Video's marketplace, starting with this weekend’s match between AJ Auxerre and Olympique de Marseille. The cost per game for UK fans will be £2.49 ($3.14), without any requirement of an Amazon Prime membership.
Eurovision Services, a leading broadcast services provider, secured this agreement after striking a deal with French club soccer’s governing body, the LFP. The contract allows Eurovision Services to serve as the worldwide distributor of both first-tier Ligue 1 and second-tier Ligue 2 matches until the end of the 2026-27 season.
Martin Aurenche, chief media officer at LFP Media, said:
“We are delighted to finalize this landmark agreement with Prime Video and to extend our successful collaboration to another territory.
“Ligue 1 fans in the UK will benefit from Prime Video’s extensive reach, with matches made available in a highly innovative way. This marks another step forward in our pursuit of new business models, following the successful launch of our direct-to-consumer platform, Ligue 1 Pass, in the UK a few months ago.”
Expansion of Amazon’s live sports portfolio
This new offering adds value to Amazon Prime’s existing live sports portfolio in the UK which includes Europe's top-tier UEFA Champions League shared with pay-TV broadcaster TNT Sports, along with twenty live games each year from English Premier League.
Previously, access to watch Ligue 1 matches during the current season was only available in the UK and Ireland via a new platform called "Ligue 1 Pass Service". This was launched by the governing body after failing to secure a regional broadcast partner ahead of this season at £9.99 per month or £79.99 annually.
ITV also holds rights for airing weekly highlights show for this season while TNT Sports held rights during last cycle but interest declined following departure of French superstar Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid.
LFP's ongoing domestic rights battle
The new partnership comes amidst the LFP's ongoing domestic rights battle with international sports streaming service DAZN. The latest development has seen the LFP withdraw funds from its cash reserves to compensate clubs in Ligue 1 after DAZN refused to pay its full rights fees.
DAZN, which acquired Ligue 1 rights in a contentious bidding saga in mid-2024, only paid half of its expected €70 million rights fee, freezing the remaining amount in escrow. This issue is now under legal proceedings at the Paris Economic Activities Court with a decision expected by week's end.
Currently, both DAZN and BeIN Sports broadcast Ligue 1 matches domestically through agreements worth around $550 million annually, with DAZN contributing most of this sum.
