John Textor, Olympique Lyonnais owner, has publicly expressed his desire for French TV channel Canal+ to regain exclusive broadcasting rights for Ligue 1. In an interview with Canal + International on Sunday evening, Textor called for a return to the old days of Ligue 1 broadcasting.
John Textor, the owner of Olympique Lyonnais, said:
“Football in France should be on Canal. I don’t know what happened with all the leaders of French football, but it is a marriage that must be made once more,”
His comments referred to previous tensions between the channel and the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP).
In September 2023, it was announced that Ligue 1’s television rights would shift from Canal + to DAZN and beIN. These two stations became exclusive broadcasters for top-flight football in France at the beginning of this season and will continue until 2029.
Legacy of Canal+
Canal+, which had been broadcasting French top flight fixtures since 1984, lost its domestic rights but still holds international ones. During his interview last weekend, Textor was reminded by Canal+ that they are currently broadcasting Ligue 1 matches in Africa. He responded by saying that such an arrangement needs to happen once again in France.
The future possibility of a change back remains uncertain as Maxime Saada, a French media executive from Canal+, stated earlier this year when asked about re-acquiring the Ligue 1 broadcasting rights: "that door is closed for now." However, he did not rule out potential changes under different circumstances in future years.
While there's no immediate plan or indication from either side about any changes regarding broadcast rights ownerships soon; John Textor's public advocacy indicates a growing sentiment among some stakeholders for a return to the traditional broadcasting arrangement. Whether this will translate into any changes in the future remains to be seen, but it certainly adds an interesting dynamic to the ongoing conversation about sports broadcasting rights in France.
