The French Professional Football League (LFP) is once again in the throes of negotiating their broadcasting rights for the second consecutive season. This comes after a deal was hastily agreed with DAZN and BeIn Sports last summer, just before the start of the Ligue 1 campaign. However, this agreement did not meet expectations as it brought in just under €500m, which was less than half of what LFP initially targeted.
Unfortunately, this deal did not stand the test of time. Just one year into a five-year cycle, it has been confirmed that the contract with DAZN has been prematurely terminated. In response to this development, LFP announced plans to create its own dedicated channel for broadcasting Ligue 1 matches.
Canal Plus returns to negotiations
Now there are two new offers on the table from Canal Plus - a historic broadcaster of Ligue 1 matches - who have returned to negotiations following an earlier dispute with Vincent Labrune, president of LFP.
The first offer proposed by Canal Plus involves collaborating with the newly planned Ligue 1 channel by broadcasting eight out of nine matches within a single gameweek while co-broadcasting Sunday night's headline game. This arrangement would be valid for next season only; beyond that (for three subsequent seasons), they propose an exclusive right to broadcast all nine games within each gameweek.
Canal Plus is also willing to provide a minimum guarantee along with revenue sharing from a certain threshold. However, they have asked for an offer from LFP regarding this minimum guarantee amount and expressed interest in offering their subscribers preferential rates for watching these games.
Distribution without advantages
A second proposal or 'Plan B' as referred by sports newspaper *L’Équipe*, has also been made by Canal Plus. This plan involves distributing the product without any particular advantages.
Despite the two offers, it appears that LFP is leaning more towards accepting 'Plan B', unless Canal Plus provides a significant minimum guarantee under the first offer. The LFP's inclination to work with Canal Plus, their historic broadcaster, is evident and they are keen on re-establishing this partnership.
While negotiations are still ongoing between LFP and Canal Plus for broadcasting rights of Ligue 1 matches, it seems likely that a new deal will be struck soon. Regardless of which plan is accepted, fans can look forward to enjoying another season of exciting football action from France's top-tier league.
