DAZN and beIN Sports win championship broadcasting rights

The British platform DAZN has acquired almost all of the TV rights for Ligue 1 with eight out of nine matches, for an amount of around 400 million euros, the sports management of Radio France learned from a source close to the negotiations. BeIn Sport has acquired a poster of the French championship for 100 million euros (the best poster for each day). This contract runs until 2029.

The League is negotiating with DAZN an exit clause in two years, for 2026. BeIN Sports has already agreed on the principle. The contract theoretically runs until 2029. beIN Sports did not want to interfere in the TV rights after having acquired the rights to Ligue 2 for 40 million euros. But a lot of pressure was put on the Qatari channel to “help French football”. The situation was finally resolved at the very end of the negotiations with the obtaining of a poster per day, for 100 million euros.

This decision was voted unanimously by the board of directors of the League. This double acquisition will therefore bring in around 500 million euros per season to the LFP, far from the billion euros expected in June 2023.

Some Ligue 1 clubs were in favour – notably Lille, Monaco, Lyon and Lens – of launching a 100% Ligue 1 channel. There was also a certain distrust of DAZN, due to insufficient guarantees given by the British platform. Negotiations during the week that has just ended have allowed an agreement to be reached on this point. DAZN has agreed to increase its financial guarantees, directly from its parent company, Access Industries.

Which has caused the majority of clubs to switch to this solution. “We were conservative, we played it safe”said a senior French football executive at the sports department of Radio France. “If a solution was not found, it would be the death of French football”adds the same source.

The French championship begins on August 16.