DAZN, a British-owned streaming service, is making significant strides in securing the rights to broadcast Ligue 1 matches from 2024 to 2028. The company's growing popularity and recent momentum have put it in pole position among potential broadcasters.
The French top-tier league is currently engaged in negotiations with various broadcasters to determine who will hold the rights for games between 2024 and 2028. While talks between DAZN and the league have intensified recently, no agreement has been reached yet.
Despite being well-known for its boxing coverage in the UK, DAZN subscribers may soon be able to enjoy football matches streaming featuring stars like Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele if they secure these broadcasting rights.
DAZN are unlikely to face much competition in the race
Over the weekend, DAZN reportedly increased its bid but faces competition from BeIN Sports who are also vying for these coveted broadcasting rights. Amazon Prime had also expressed interest initially; however, due to financial constraints, they are believed to be scaling down their interest now.
For this season's coverage of Ligue 1 in France, Canal+ and Amazon Prime hold the broadcasting rights. However, neither broadcaster seems likely contenders for securing new sets of broadcasting packages.
Ligue 1 executives were initially hoping to secure around £860 million ($1.17 billion) from selling these broadcasting rights. But with fewer interested parties than expected bidding on them now, they are considering a more modest figure closer to approximately £690 million ($940 million), which is around their current contract value.
Premier League rights are also in the works for DAZN
In addition to pursuing Ligue 1's broadcast rights aggressively, there have been reports of DAZN eyeing up Premier League matches in the UK as well. This move could potentially pose problems for TNT Sports, the current rights holder for early kick-offs.
As negotiations continue, DAZN's potential acquisition of Ligue 1 broadcasting rights could significantly alter the landscape of sports broadcasting.
With its growing popularity and aggressive bidding strategy, DAZN is emerging as a major player in global sports coverage. However, until an agreement is reached, the future of Ligue 1 broadcasting remains uncertain.
