The final of the Women’s Champions League between Olympique Lyonnais and FC Barcelona will not be broadcast unencrypted on television in France. This event is not “protected” by French law, unlike others.
If you want to watch the Women’s Champions League final this Saturday, don’t bother turning on TF1, M6 or France Télévisions. To watch the meeting between OL and FC Barcelona, you will need to connect to YouTube or the DAZN1 channel, available on MyCanal. On the other hand, despite the presence of a French club, no unencrypted broadcast is planned.
“So, and to my great surprise, the Women’s Champions League final, which also involves a French club, is not broadcast on any free-to-air channel. Absolutely mind-boggling”protests journalist Grégory Schneider on X (ex-Twitter). “Attention to all those giving lessons who are calling for more women’s sport in the media. Let’s start by drafting a law that would apply to women as much as men”replies Régis Dupont, from L’Equipe.
Protected events, but no women’s football
The journalist refers to this decree of December 22, 2004 which “protects” major sporting events. To prevent sport from completely disappearing from free channels, and remaining visible to as many people as possible, the government has imposed that certain highlights must be broadcast unencrypted. These are the so-called “major importance” events, 21 in number (see list below).
Concerning football, no women’s match meets these criteria. It must be said that in 2004, women’s football was much less developed than it is today. However, this is undoubtedly an anomaly to be corrected. At the end of 2022, Ouest-France raised the possibility that this list would be expanded, by including more women’s sports events. No concrete developments at the moment.
The 21 protected sporting events in France
1° The Summer and Winter Olympic Games
2° The matches of the French football team listed on the FIFA calendar
3° The opening match, the semi-finals and the final of the Football World Cup
4° The semi-finals and the final of the European Football Championship
5° The final of the Europa League if a French team participates
6° The final of the Football Champions League
7° The final of the French Football Cup
8° The Six Nations rugby tournament
9° The semi-finals and the final of the Rugby World Cup
10° The final of the French rugby championship
11° The final of the European Rugby Cup if a French team participates
12° The finals of the men’s and women’s singles of the Roland-Garros tennis tournament
13° The semi-finals and finals of the Davis Cup and the Fed Cup when the French tennis team participates
14° The French Formula 1 Grand Prix
15° The Tour de France for men’s cyclists
16° The Paris-Roubaix cycle race
17° The men’s and women’s finals of the European basketball championship when the French team participates
18° The men’s and women’s finals of the basketball world championship when the French team participates
19° The men’s and women’s finals of the European handball championship when the French team participates
20° The men’s and women’s finals of the world handball championship when the French team participates
21° The world athletics championships
