the Professional Football League has the billion in its sights – Libération

Three years after the Mediapro fiasco and the arrival of Amazon, the LFP is putting the broadcasting rights of Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 back into play from this Tuesday, September 12. Between old hands and newcomers, review of the contenders.

It is now a rule in every call for tenders for French football TV rights: anyone who thinks they know the winner has a good chance of being wrong. It is impossible to predict the future broadcaster of Ligue 1 and Ligue 2, especially since newcomers create a surprise each time. It was Orange Sport, then BeIn Sports, then Mediapro, then Amazon. The Professional Football League (LFP) is also counting on this to raise the stakes and reach its dream amount: one billion euros including broadcasting rights for abroad. Complicated, especially if the last call for tenders served as a lesson to them.

In 2018, the Sino-Spanish group Mediapro won the prize by paying 780 million euros for 80% of the rights, before collapsing when it came time to pay, two years later. Amazon had recovered the loot at a knockdown price, 250 million annually for seven matches per day (with the top 10 posters of the season). The rest was broadcast by Canal+ which, with its lot of two matches per day paid 332 million euros annually (the price of its auction in 2018), considered itself to be the turkey of the farce. This time, according to information from RMC and the Team, the call for tenders should be simplified with two lots involved: a “premium” lot made up of the three key matches of each day, and a second with the six others. Who will position themselves? Review of the contenders.

Amazon, the title holder

The digital giant had awarded itself Ligue 1 for 250 small million euros annually in 2021, but the situation is completely different today: is Jeff Bezos’ firm ready to significantly increase its offer to keep football French ? Above all, having broadcast it for a little over two seasons, she knows what it’s worth. Amazon does not reveal the number of its subscribers. But, in July, the increase in the monthly price of its Ligue 1 pass (the additional subscription to have access to matches), from 12.99 euros to 14.99 euros, may have provided information on profitability not necessarily there. . On the other hand, Amazon does not seem to have changed its strategy in its investments in sport at the global level, continuing its acquisitions of rights in Italy or the United Kingdom. And in France, Amazon resigned in March to continue broadcasting the Roland-Garros nights.

Canal+, the history

Still angry Canal+? The group led by Maxime Saada had done everything to lower the price of the lot acquired in 2018 for 332 million euros annually, without success. Since then, French football – a popular product since the beginnings of the encrypted channel – has rarely been highlighted in Canal’s offering. The channel prefers to put all its marketing budget on the Top 14, the Champions League, or even the Saudi championship, for which it recently acquired the rights after the arrivals of stars like Ronaldo, Karim Benzema or Neymar. A symptom of the relations maintained with the LFP? It’s hard to imagine Canal+ being very generous in its auctions. But Canal is today a metaplatform, aggregating other streaming services. Including several potential suitors such as DAZN or Apple. A combined offer with these new partners could allow it to offer the entire Ligue 1 to its subscribers. Clever.

DAZN, the new kid

This is the latest arrival, and the one that was announced with fanfare in the media in the weeks preceding this call for tenders: this is not always a good sign. The sports streaming platform, launched in 2015 in England, aims to be the “Netflix of sport” and already broadcasts the Champions League, the Bundesliga or the Liga in other European countries. “We already have Ligue 1 in certain markets,” DAZN commercial director Marc Watson explained to AFP on Monday. It’s a good product and we think it’s a little undervalued, that there is potential for growth both in France and internationally. We honestly believe that we are the best partner to realize this potential. Because we did it for others, we proved our ability to create and increase audiences in other countries.” Still discreet in France by broadcasting combat sports since 2020, DAZN has taken on another dimension this year: by acquiring the rights to the Women’s Champions League in May, and, above all, since last month, with an agreement with Canal+ which already allows it to broadcast Ligue 1 matches. Before increasing them following this call for tenders?

Apple, the shy one

Since last year, Apple has launched into the sports rights market with a big deal: the rights to Friday Night Baseball from MLB (Major League Baseball), i.e. two key Friday games. The digital giant has also got its hands on soccer, with the broadcast of Major League Soccer (MLS) from 2023 until 2032. Even trying its luck on the French market? Difficult to imagine, even if the arrival of Apple TV+ in the Canal+ offering – an unprecedented initiative for Apple’s streaming offering – raises some questions about its plans for the French market.

BeIn Sports, the Qataris remain in the game

We thought the Qatari audiovisual group was completely out after being subjugated by Canal+. But obviously not that much: BeIn says it wants to evaluate the call for tenders to “try to see if we can do L1, while respecting measured investments”, declared the editorial director, Florent Houzot, by presenting the new season of his channel on Thursday. BeIn could possibly target the second lot, less prestigious but also less expensive.

Another…

China Central Television? Total ? Gully? Everything is possible with Ligue 1 calls for tenders.

Person

A “very likely” scenario according to the words of Pierre Maës, specialist in TV sports rights, to AFP: the failure of the call for tenders. As in Italy, where the procedure was unsuccessful, “for lack of sufficient offer” for Serie A. The league found itself negotiating over the counter with interested candidates. Will this scenario happen again in France? Response in October.