French soccer's top-flight league, Ligue 1, has announced that its in-house channel, Ligue 1+, has already surpassed the target subscriber base for the 2025-26 season. The direct-to-consumer (DTC) service has garnered over a million subscribers within just the first month of competition.
Ligue 1+ holds exclusive rights to eight out of nine weekly games from the league. The ninth game is shown on delay as it is a BeIN exclusive live game. This comprehensive coverage of weekly matches provides fans with an immersive viewing experience and contributes significantly to its early success. The service was launched in mid-July with an annual subscription priced at €14.99 ($17.66) per month or a non-committal monthly tier at $19.99 per month. Of these subscribers, approximately 72% have opted for the annual package over the rolling monthly commitment.
This pricing strategy undercuts last season's primary domestic rightsholder, DAZN's charges significantly - DAZN never managed to hit seven figures for subscribers in France during its rights stewardship.
Attracting fans with streamlined content offering
The low price point combined with an array of content offerings including Mediawan-produced ancillary content and shoulder programming has attracted fans who felt they were overpaying for unwanted content just to watch Ligue 1 on DAZN.
LFP league organizer attributes this early success not only to competitive pricing but also strong public attachment to Ligue 1 sides and efficient distribution model supported by clubs' involvement in creating engaging content.
Ligue 1+ is carried by several major TV and telecom players in France such as Boygues Telecom, Free, Orange, SFR, Molotov, and Prime Video. Even DAZN carries it as a paid additional channel on its platform.
Future goals
Looking ahead, the LFP aims to hit the 2 million subscriber mark with Ligue 1+. Joseph Oughourlian, president of Ligue 1 side RC Lens hinted in an interview that the service could increase its price from €14.99 to €18.99 in the future. This potential change could see Ligue 1+ revenue grow to upwards of €300 million.
With its competitive pricing strategy and comprehensive content offering, Ligue 1+ has managed to attract a significant number of subscribers within a short period of time. The league's future plans indicate an ambitious growth trajectory for this promising DTC service.
