Broadcasting of cycling races: RTBF takes RTL Belgium to court

Selon our colleagues from LitterRTBF is taking Infront Sports (a company active in the sale of broadcasting rights to sporting events) and RTL Belgium to court for non-compliance with the rules of healthy competition.

At the end of 2023, RTL acquired the broadcast rights for the 2025 to 2028 seasons of a series of cycling races organized by Flanders Classics, previously broadcast by RTBF. Among these races, the Tour of Flanders, Ghent-Wevelgem, the Brabant Flèche and the Tour de Suisse.

By taking RTL to court, RTBF hopes to open the market again. “The rights were granted to RTL without a competitive bidding procedure and without the RTBF being able to submit an offer in due time,” explained lawyer Chloé Binet, from the De Bandt law firm, on behalf of the RTBF, to Litter.

For the lawyer, Infront Sport was guilty of abuse of a dominant position by negotiating the rights with RTL live, behind the back of RTBF. “It is difficult to believe that Infront and RTL were unaware of these competition rules. » When RTBF learned that RTL had won the broadcasting rights to these highly coveted cycling races, the public media sent an offer, in vain. Last solution to hope to broadcast the races, RTBF has decided to go through the justice system.