Asked by RMC this Sunday, the former candidate for the LFP presidential election is worried about the situation of TV rights in Ligue 1.
This week, RMC Sport indicated that the number of subscribers to DAZN, TV broadcaster of eight Ligue 1 matches (out of nine) per day, stood at 400,000. A very low figure and below the expectations of the channel which was hoping for a million subscribers at the end of the year.
“Canal has 5 million subscribers. DAZN is 400,000. It's not very complicated to make the report. Basically, the Ligue 1 audience has roughly been divided by ten, at least, compared to 7-8 years agolamented Cyril Linette, this Sunday morning in the Grandes Gueules du Sport on RMC. And this is not DAZN's last choice, it is changes in broadcasters over the last six years which have led to changing broadcasters four times, and each time moving towards a broadcaster with a subscriber base of lower and lower.”
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Ligue 1: DAZN extends its price reduction until the end of the year
My son wanted to watch the Classic in a bar in Paris on Sunday, but he couldn't find any. No Parisian bar has collectively subscribed to DAZN
Cyril Linette
The former general director of PMU and l'Equipe, who also worked for the Canal+ group and was beaten by Vincent Labrune during the LFP presidential election, considers today that “Ligue 1 is in mortal danger». «Who still talks about Ligue 1 in bistros? Listen carefully to the conversations in the bistros, less and less, continued Linette. Could a scene like that of Le Dîner de cons find its place in a film, in fiction today? I don't think anyone would have the idea of putting a scene with a Ligue 1 match that Daniel Prévost wants to watch at a friend's house. Also think about collective subscriptions. My son wanted to watch the Classic in a bar in Paris on Sunday, but he couldn't find any. No Parisian bar has collectively subscribed to DAZN. It was also a major consumption of football and major Ligue 1 matches. It’s catastrophic.”
After having won the TV rights to Ligue 1 for an average of 400 million euros per year until 2029, DAZN has been trying for several weeks to lower its price to attract new subscribers. Until the end of 2024, the British streaming platform is extending its offer to 19.99 euros per month instead of 29.99 euros.
