Mediapro wishes to renegotiate the amount of the broadcasting rights for the French L1 and L2 because of the Covid-19 pandemic, reveals its main manager, Jaume Roures, in an interview to appear this Thursday in L’Equipe.
“We want to discuss the contract again this season. She is very affected by Covid-19, everyone knows it because everyone is suffering. We are not calling into question the project as such. But bars and restaurants are closed, advertising has collapsed… These are things that everyone knows ”, explains Mr. Roures in the daily.
Mediapro, which launched the dedicated Téléfoot channel this season, asked the Professional Football League (LFP) for a delay to settle its deadline of October 6 (172 million euros): “It’s more complicated than that. We have asked to talk about this season’s contract because of the Covid-19. It is obvious that the Covid affects many aspects of the exploitation of rights. We want to talk about that, ”insists Mr. Roures.
“We do not question the contract”
The fees set for the 2020-2021 season amount to 780 million euros for Ligue 1 and 34 million euros for Ligue 2, confirms Mr. Roures, stressing that “the League itself asked the government to compensate its losses due to the Covid. We are in this dynamic. We do not have a concrete amount. We want to renegotiate the price. We have asked to establish a timetable to bring this negotiation to a conclusion, which will not be public. “
“The contract was established under conditions that have nothing to do with the current situation,” adds Mr. Roures. It’s obvious. It is necessary to talk about it. Then we’ll see how it ends. We do not question the contract, but we question the current situation […] We have an agreement for four seasons. There are several ways to fix the current situation. “
Finally, on the October 6 deadline, which Mediapro has not paid, and on the October 17 date, on which the LFP must distribute the sums paid by the broadcasters to the clubs, Mr. Roures is not very encouraging. : “It is obvious that on October 17, we will not have reached an agreement. But we can find formulas that fix the economic situation of clubs. “
