In a surprising turn of events, Canal Plus, the historic broadcaster of Ligue 1, has ruled out making an offer for the broadcasting rights. This comes amidst growing dissatisfaction from DAZN, the current holder of the rights for the Ligue 1 cycle (2024-29).
DAZN has been openly unhappy with its current situation after purchasing the broadcasting rights for Ligue 1. The discontent reached a peak when they decided to withhold a €35m payment from the French Professional Football League (LFP) last month. Although DAZN eventually paid this sum just days before a court hearing on this issue, it only served to paper over existing cracks in their relationship.
Rumours about Canal Plus' return
Given these circumstances and growing dissatisfaction on both sides, rumours began circulating about a potential return for Canal Plus as broadcaster of Ligue 1 matches. In an interview last week, Vincent Labrune, President of LFP opened up about welcoming back Canal Plus if they were willing to broadcast at fair value. However, he added that "for now", they have not expressed any such desire and emphasized that it was not within their power to force them into doing so.
Despite these speculations and open invitation from Labrune himself, Maxime Saada - President of Canal Plus - firmly shut down any possibility during an interview. He stated that there would be no immediate return by his company in terms of taking up broadcasting rights for Ligue 1.
Maxime Saada, President of Canal Plus, said:
“The conditions are absolutely not aligned for Canal+’s return in this deal.”
The conditions under which Canal Plus might reconsider returning to negotiations remain unclear at this point in time. This development leaves fans and sports betting enthusiasts wondering what will happen next in terms of broadcasting rights for one France's most popular football leagues. As the situation continues to evolve, it is clear that the future of Ligue 1 broadcasting rights remains uncertain.
