Should we believe the Pro League when it talks about launching its own channel? Yes and no

“Does this ad stand up to analysis?”asks Pierre Maes, Belgian specialist in sports TV rights. “This would mean that the League itself would have to pay for the production of the matches, on the one hand, which would cost say around €20 million per year. Then she would have to go knock on the doors of telecom operators herself to sell her channel to them. While they have an actor, DAZN, ready to put €80 million on the table and who has experience negotiating with telcos. I rather have the impression that this is a form of bluff, for my part. If several countries have brandished this threat, only the Netherlands have taken action, but they would not do it again if they had to do it again, anyway.”

Why Belgian football is no longer worth €103 million

Few of the club bosses we contacted seem to really believe in this idea… at least, immediately. Some do not deny that we need to think about it for the future and it is perhaps for this reason, also, that the League recruited Pieter De Windt, ex-VRT, a year ago as new Media, Marketing Director and Commercial. “The idea is laudable, but the timing doesn’t seem right to me, when we have just launched a new Tender. Who will dare to take the risk of making a DAZN alone? “replies this D1 circle leader.

What if DAZN was no longer there in 2030?

Because the problem, we say to ourselves in the League, is that if DAZN knows in 2030 that it is once again the only credible partner on the market, the offer risks being even lower. “Reflection makes sense.”continues Pierre Maes. “It applies to Belgium, but also to France and Italy, where DAZN was at one time the only major player to invest in football rights.” And where the amounts have decreased.

“Besides, it’s a group in difficulty (Editor’s note: just over a billion losses in 2022) and which is still not in equilibrium. There is therefore a risk for the Belgian League and others if it ever crashes. Maybe we need to prepare for the fact that there won’t be anyone left in 2030.” At least, no one left to deposit a comparable amount. Shay Segev, the CEO of this “Netflix of sports”, announced this summer that 2024 will be the first profitable year for the group. To be confirmed.