DAZN is lowering its prices. At least temporarily. Heavily criticized for weeks for the price of its Ligue 1 subscription (29.99 euros per month with a one-year commitment, 39.99 euros per month without commitment) and communicating a lot about an increase in piracy of the French championship, the British streaming platform DAZN, which broadcasts eight of the nine matches of the French championship each weekend, offered, Monday, September 9, a promotion on its prices starting Tuesday.
Thus, from September 10 to 22, the annual subscription to watch Ligue 1 will go from 29.99 euros to 19.99 euros. Regarding the monthly offer without commitment, only the first two months will be billed 19.99 euros, instead of 39.99 euros. “The first three days [du championnat] have been crucial for us. We have had zero bugs. We are happy with this start. The feedback from the clubs is positive. A first step has been taken. Now, it is important to build over time, learn lessons and develop the product,” said Brice Daumin, CEO of DAZN France in an interview with Agence France-Presse (AFP).
This decision comes three weeks after the start of the championship. At the end of a long saga, DAZN acquired the broadcasting rights for eight Ligue 1 matches per day at the beginning of July, at a price of around 400 million euros on average per year. The platform’s stated objective: to attract 1.5 million subscribers within six months, according to its CEO Shay Segev. A challenge that seems difficult to achieve. According to the daily West Francethe operator would have between 100,000 and 150,000 subscribers, more than ten times less than its break-even point.
Rise of illegal platforms
The subscription rate offered by DAZN, considered too expensive, combined with the haphazard communication of the masterminds of the National Football League (LFP) – “Subscribing is vital for the clubs’ economy”urged the president of Montpellier, Laurent Nicollin, in an interview with The team – sparked an outcry among fans and an increase in illegal broadcasting methods. On X (formerly Twitter), the hashtag #BoycottDAZN was very successful for several days after the start of Ligue 1. And according to The Parisianat least 200,000 people turned to the Telegram messaging service to watch the Le Havre-PSG match on August 14, the season opener.
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This announcement comes on the eve of the LFP General Assembly, which is to elect its president on Tuesday, September 10, in Paris. The issue of the price of the subscription has particularly stirred up the campaign, with Cyril Linette, the only opponent of the outgoing Vincent Labrune, having made a commitment to “to convince DAZN to lower its price as quickly as possible”in order to avoid a « catastrophe ».
Asked by AFP, the CEO of DAZN France assured that this price reduction had not “no connection with the upcoming LFP elections”. “You have to know how to listen, read the lessons, adjust. That’s how you build something.”he added. For those who subscribed at the start of the championship, nothing has, however, been announced concerning a potential retroactivity of prices.
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