The French soccer’s LFP governing body has finally concluded its search for a domestic broadcast deal for the upcoming top-flight Ligue 1 matches. The agreement, reached with international sports streaming service DAZN and pay-TV giant BeIN Sports, is set to run through the 2028-29 season.
With just about a month left until the start of the 2024-25 campaign, Ligue 1 presidents voted on Sunday to accept a joint offer from DAZN and BeIN. This decision paves the way for launching a direct-to-consumer Ligue 1 platform.
As part of this agreement, DAZN will pay €400 million ($436.4 million) per season for eight out of nine games in each round. Qatar-based broadcaster BeIN will show either the top fixture each week or every other round's second biggest game at €100 million per year. The deal also includes potential exit clause negotiations after two or three seasons, which BeIN appears open to considering.
Controversy surrounding the decision
Despite approval by both parties involved and the LFP board of directors, this decision was not without controversy. Olympique Lyonnais owner John Textor criticized accepting these offers as he preferred housing games on a dedicated streaming service instead.
Olympique Lyonnais owner, John Textor, said:
“Signing a long-term deal with traditional broadcasting models is looking towards the past, we should be turning to the future.”
Textor released statements calling for creating an exclusive channel for broadcasting all matches from France's premier football league -Ligue 1. He further expressed his dissatisfaction over social media platforms where he commented on what he perceived as favoritism towards Paris Saint-Germain by BeIN Sports due to their shared Qatari ownership.
There are concerns that under this new arrangement with DAZN, next season’s title winners might receive less than the €6 million given to Clermont, who finished bottom last season. This could potentially put as many as eight clubs at serious risk of bankruptcy. The LFP initially tendered the rights for both Ligue 1 and second-tier Ligue 2 matches for the next cycle on September 13 after being granted permission by the French government to extend contract lengths from four to five years. However, no offers met their asking price of close to €1 billion for five seasons.
Pressure on LFP to prove doubters wrong
With a new season starting on August 18, there was significant pressure on the league body to resolve this situation. They have now agreed upon a deal at half their initial asking price. DAZN's acquisition of Ligue 1 rights means it now holds domestic media rights to four out of Europe’s ‘big five’ leagues - LaLiga in Spain, Serie A in Italy, Bundesliga in Germany and now France's Ligue 1.
However, DAZN is currently embroiled in a legal dispute with German soccer’s DFL body over allegations that its bid was unlawfully rejected during the tender process for Bundesliga's next broadcast cycle.
Despite these challenges and controversies surrounding broadcasting deals, securing these rights marks an important milestone for both DAZN and BeIN Sports as they continue expanding their sports broadcasting portfolios.
