The Professional Football League announced this Tuesday the launch of its new platform dedicated to Ligue 1. Far from France, the American model continues to beat records while multiplying the broadcasters with the surpulating national leagues.
Embarrassment of choice. While the television rights file seems to finally know a period of stability in France, everything seems today to oppose it to that set up in the USA. For this country, confidence reigns more than ever with historical diffusers. The latter remain dominant on the local market and recent agreements signed with federations continue to break records. But competition is done at the same time more and more tough between NBC, broadcaster of the Olympic Games, and ESPN, ABC, TNT or Fox Sports. To them five, they share today the biggest competitions in the country such as the NBA or the NFL.
The prestigious American football championship has also broken a new record this season by signing a ‘Deal’ of $ 110 million (94 million euros) on 2023. His meetings are now viewable on CBS (Paramount), NBC (Comcast), Fox, Espn (Disney) and Amazon. Behind the NFL, the NBA also continues to panic the counters. Last July the American basketball body sold its rights against $ 76 million (65 million euros), mainly with ESPN and ABC. With a few more steps behind, baseball and NHL try to stand out. But it is clear that the competition is very fierce.
The madness around the college football
Behind these compressors who manage the most important national sports, university sports are still in the middle of the golden age with the NCAA championships. Regularly, in the middle of weekends, the College Football comes to make more important audiences than a NFL match. For what? A large part of the American population leaves universities and there is a very strong phoneme of belonging on site. Local channels maintain this passion at all costs. Example: an American fan who lives in Arizona and who made his university at the MIT of Boston, he will support the rest of his life. Last February, ESPN was offered a new XXL contract only for the Play-offs of the NCAA championship. Amount of this agreement: 7.8 billion euros.
Apple and Netflix try to win
Behind the scenes, the battle rages between historical diffusers but also with the arrival of new media. What to explain in particular, the failure of TNT (Warner Bros) in the renewal of its rights for the NBA. A mission that the ESPN group succeeded in accomplishing in-extremis during the last call for tenders. But the emerging actors accelerate their breakthrough this year. This is the case of Apple TV which already broadcasts certain evenings of NFL. But the American giant can also boast of selling the MLS Pass all over the world. Netflix also gradually arrives with the ‘Christmas Games’ on the NFL. Two flagship meetings that the platform broadcast at Christmas. These new actors have come until today to these rights in a occasional manner, are timidly positioning themselves. As in France, Amazon is interested in the American market with great caution. He also managed to recover the NFL match on Thursday evening. YouTube TV also tries to pull out by recovering a poster.
In the USA, television rights are now very dispatched. Unlike what the French market wishes to develop. Main reason for this distribution: the ‘league pass’ offered by the various sports authorities. The NBA League Pass and the NFL League Pass are those that are most successful today. The American market is by far the number 1 audiovisual market in the world. Where the general public pays the most per month to consume sport.
The average consumer pays between $ 80 and 100 dollars (between 68 and 85 euros) per month. “As for football is cheaper than in Europe. What is incredible here is that all champion -league matches cost 5 dollars (4.25 euros) per month without VPN. I don’t have time to look at everything, but the highlights of all the championships are 15 -minute YouTube videos. It’s easy. The only thing is that if you want to see a day. CBS because it is not expensive and the talk shows are good, “says Olivier, a fan of soccer. But the Pay-Per-View also continues to progress. Especially around boxing and UFC. Floyd Mayweather’s fights at the time could cost up to $ 150 (128 euros).
