Main broadcaster of Ligue 1 since the start of the season, DAZN still refuses to communicate its audiences. On the side of club presidents, there is fear that the channel will not achieve its objectives.
According to the latest estimates from L'Equipe, which are now a few weeks old, DAZN has convinced 500,000 football fans to subscribe to its channel, which broadcasts eight out of nine Ligue 1 matches each week. A disappointing total, especially since subscriptions really took off from the moment DAZN agreed to reduce its price, initially set at 30 euros per month and revised to 20 euros per month with commitment. The platform is therefore not at all on track and its objectives are far from being achieved while the channel is targeting 1.5 million subscribers.
“If there are no subscribers to DAZN…”
As a reminder, the contract between the LFP and DAZN runs until 2029 but there is an exit clause after two years if the objective is not achieved. This scenario is enough to terrify the presidents of Ligue 1, who do not want to fall back into another endless soap opera of TV rights. Questioned by RMC, Laurent Nicollin does not hide his fears. “We have to discuss all the scenarios. If there are subscribers, so much the better. If there is none… we will have to think about reviewing our way of showing French football to people. Will the league have to create its own channel? These will be things that will have to be discussed in the months to come” launched the president of RMC, who also believes that the fight against IPTV will be crucial for the success of DAZN.
“The State must fight IPTV, and then we will see if beIN and DAZN are watched more. There's always the risk when you go on a private channel of being seen less. By no longer being on Canal+, you certainly have less visibility. There are people smarter than me who think better about this and who must have studied the question, believing that it was good for French football” concluded Laurent Nicollin, number one support for Vincent Labrune during the last LFP elections and who is now waiting to see how the situation will evolve for DAZN which, let us remember, pays nearly 400 million euros per year for the broadcast of the championship from France. A sum down compared to previous years, but essential to the survival of Ligue 1 clubs.
France
