The French soccer governing body, Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP), has officially confirmed its domestic broadcast mix for the 2024-28 media rights cycle. The board of directors approved deals with pay-TV broadcaster BeIN Sports and international OTT streaming service DAZN.
DAZN will pay €400 million ($436.4 million) per season to broadcast eight out of the nine Ligue 1 matches in each round. On the other hand, Qatar-based BeIN will showcase either the top fixture each week or every other round's second biggest game for €100 million per year.
In addition to these agreements, there are "significant achievable bonuses" inserted into DAZN's deal. This includes an automatic €50 million payout to LFP if DAZN reaches 1.5 million subscribers in France.
Exit clauses and bonuses
The LFP also revealed that it has included "flexible exit clauses" in its contract with DAZN as a safety measure should it find the deal unsatisfactory in future. This reportedly includes a break clause if DAZN fails to amass 1.5 million subscribers. BeIN’s partnership also comprises a sponsorship component that makes up around €20 million of its total fee.
BeIN released statement:
"BeIN SPORTS is pleased to have been appointed an official broadcast partner of McDonald’s Ligue 1 in France. This continues our trusted and dedicated support of men’s and women’s French football dating back to 2012, providing the best content to our valued subscribers in France and around the world.
"In addition to Ligue 1, we are particularly proud to support and promote all levels of men’s and women’s French football across the pyramid, including our investment in Ligue 2 rights, our acquisition of international rights, our broadcasting of women’s football including the Women’s French Cup, and our community programmes such as beIN Squad supporting grassroots football across the country."
"We look forward to another successful season of French football beginning later this month.”
Looking forward to another successful season
With Ligue 1 set to kick off on August 18, both broadcasters expressed their excitement about another successful season of French football beginning later this month. While several parties submitted bids for these rights, BeIN and DAZN were chosen due to their “long-term commitment and intention to offer attractive content,” demonstrating their confidence in Ligue 1’s quality and growth dynamics according to an official statement from LFP.
Speaking on this announcement, Vincent LaBrune, LFP president, expressed his satisfaction with the deal. However, he acknowledged that the negotiations were protracted over several months and put French soccer's future in doubt due to LFP’s inability to quickly secure an adequate media rights agreement.
Vincent LaBrune, LFP president, said:
“The negotiations were intense because we wanted to reach agreements that would meet the interests of all clubs and that would allow French soccer to continue its development and increase its attractiveness.”
The future of French football
The successful conclusion of these deals marks a significant step forward for French football. Despite initial challenges in securing an adequate media rights agreement, the LFP has managed to secure partnerships that not only ensure coverage for fans but also provide financial security for the league.
Conrad Wiacek, head of analysis and consulting at Sportcal (GlobalData Sport), explained earlier in July how crucial these deals are for the future growth and stability of French football.
Conrad Wiacek, head of analysis and consulting at Sportcal (GlobalData Sport), said:
“The Ligue 1 rights deal highlights an embarrassing fall from grace for the French league. When going to market, the stated aim was to negotiate a deal worth at least $1 billion for media rights to French soccer.
“However, following the collapse of the Mediapro deal and the unwillingness of the LFP to renegotiate its deal with Canal Plus following the shortened Covid season, the LFP essentially backed itself into a corner by alienating most of its media partners.
“With the likes of Amazon unwilling to come to the rescue of French soccer given its change in strategy, along with the departure of a host of stars such as Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, the need for the LFP to strike a deal ahead of the new season from a position of weakness meant that the body had to settle for a fee well below its stated target price."
This new broadcast mix promises exciting times ahead for sports fans and sports betting enthusiasts alike as they look forward to another thrilling season of Ligue 1 action.
