Who will blow the final whistle in this endless match? While football observers thought the Ligue 1 TV rights drama was over, information revealed by “L’Equipe” broke this “happy ending”. BeIN Sports, broadcaster of one French championship match per weekend, has still not paid the first installment of its contract, estimated at 20 million euros. A delay which inevitably has a domino impact on the finances of elite clubs, which did not receive 24% of the amount which was to be allocated to them at the end of August. Enough to provoke the anger of their presidents, already very grumpy after this summer’s misunderstanding.
A co-broadcast of Ligue 1 on Canal+?
To justify this delay, the Franco-Qatari media would have put forward the still vague outlines of the said contract, which he has still not signed, questioning on its scope of actions in relation to the other broadcaster. Recalcitrant management would therefore demand clarification around the agreement between DAZN et Free and the possibility for the British media to broadcast extracts almost live on its social networks. Another request, BeIN Sports would like also be able to co-broadcast your Ligue 1 poster in order to make your investment profitable. The group would thus join forces with another broadcaster which does not own the rights to the national product, undoubtedly Canal+, with which it renewed its exclusive distribution agreement at the last minute.
Verdict before October 2
Answers should be provided by the Professional Football League, led by Vincent Labrune reappointed as its head, before October 2, date of the next board of directors of the body. The tone could then rise in the event of frying on the line. The only bright spot in the middle of this gray area: the settlement of the first installment owed by BeIN Sports concerning its Ligue 2 contract.
