what economic consequences for Ligue 1?

The departure of the striker, standard bearer of the French championship for years, runs the risk of a lack of incarnation for the development of Ligue 1 abroad.

It’s official, Kylian Mbappé will leave the French championship this summer to play for Real Madrid. After Lionel Messi and Neymar last summer, Ligue 1 has lost its third superstar in the space of a year. But what impact will this departure have on Ligue 1, which is still negotiating its TV rights for the period 2024-2029?

“There are several dimensions: national and international TV rights and ticketing”, begins Vincent Chaudel, co-founder of the Sport Business Observatory. For the specialist, this departure will have no real repercussions on national TV rights. “The impact will be marginal because they are linked to the interest of the French public rather than to the departure of the players. Obviously when there are more stars, there is more interest. But whether there is or not Mbappé, Messi or Neymar, when there is a PSG-OM, OM fans look at it the same way”maintains Vincent Chaudel.

“What makes the value of the 95% rights is the competition between the operators. Obviously, it is better to have Mbappé, Messi and Neymar but that is not as important. It is more psychological than anything else”adds Pierre Maes, TV rights consultant.

Virgile Caillet, general delegate of the Union Sport et Cycle, confirms this trend and believes that the impact will be more marked on international TV rights. “For international rights, more than Mbappé, it is the combined departure of Messi and Neymar which is a little impactful“, he decides. “It could have an influence, but we are talking about much smaller amounts. I would say that it is not only Mbappé, it is above all the absence of the trio”adds Pierre Maes.

Indeed, to sell TV rights throughout the world, the flagship product is much more important than in France, where the supporter base is sufficiently anchored to ensure regular monitoring. “The TV rights of the Saudi league were worthless before the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and the others. The international market is interested in brands, clubs and players. In France, we obviously have PSG, the OM, Monaco and to a lesser extent OL Afterwards, there are the players. The problem is that those who are known internationally are mainly concentrated at PSG.analyzes Vincent Chaudel.

With Kylian Mbappé gone, the Professional Football League (LFP) will cruelly lack the means to sell its rights, particularly in Asia, a market targeted by PSG in particular with the arrival of the South Korean Kang-In Lee last summer, and which is now making its summer tour there (Japan in 2022 and 2023, China in 2024). “The question is: who in Mbappé’s place? There aren’t many players of that standing. But with Mbappé’s payroll, PSG will be able to recruit several names and perhaps relaunch the “attractiveness of Ligue 1. And therefore the damage may ultimately be limited”tempers Virgile Caillet.

At a time when the promotion of a championship also involves social networks, the loss of a player with 114 million followers on Instagram will also have to be measured. Especially since Ligue 1 already suffers from comparison with England, Spain or Germany. “With the departure of Mbappé, we no longer have a player with more than 100 million followers, so yes it’s very annoying for the international dimension“, concedes Vincent Chaudel.

“Unquestionably, this is not good news. But the potential harm that we could project onto Ligue 1 will have to be studied in light of the new players who will join it. Mbappé, we all knew him, he There wasn’t really anything new anymore.observes Virgile Caillet for his part.

The consequences on ticketing appear to be different depending on the club. For the Parc des Princes, the crowds should not change too much. “PSG will undoubtedly remain at 95% occupancy rate”, says Vincent Chaudel. The question arises more about PSG’s away matches, which garnered considerable revenue with the presence of Messi, Neymar or Mbappé once or twice a year.

“The other clubs were sure to sell three, four, five times their stadium capacity for the PSG match. So they could explode the prices for that match. There have always been gala match prices, but This was an extraordinary match. They risk continuing to sell out. [guichets fermés] but probably not at the same price. So it will have an impact on the ticketing revenue of other clubs.”anticipates the specialist.

“When Lionel Messi left Paris and arrived in Miami, the average price for a match was $39. From the time he arrived, it was $390.”

Vincent Chaudel, co-founder of the Sport Business Observatory

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Fiercer competition for the title, new stars on the approach: Ligue 1 will have to find alternatives, but that could also be a blessing in disguise. “I want to get away from the ambient catastrophism which would say: ‘Apart from Mbappé, there is no salvation, the partners will run away, there will no longer be anyone in the stadiums and Ligue 1 will be shunned by the broadcasters’ It could be an opportunity to see new names and therefore find a little attractiveness in terms of ticketing, partners and distribution and perhaps ultimately, it will be a little positive.aims Virgile Caillet.