French soccer’s Professional Football League (LFP) could launch its own channel to broadcast live matches from Ligue 1 if it fails to attract a satisfactory bid for its domestic media rights.
The governing body scrapped the formal auction process for the rights last October and has since been negotiating directly with potential partners.
DAZN had previously been considered the frontrunner for the rights, given it recently launched a dedicated service for the French market.
However the LFP has still yet to receive an offer that would come close to its previously stated target of €1 billion (US$1.05 billion) in annual revenue for its domestic and international rights for the 2024-2029 cycle.
Indeed, that target has since been abandoned, with the league now hoping to obtain the same amount as its current agreements.
Bloomberg says Ligue 1 clubs expect the governing body to suggest the idea as an alternative way forward, however there could be further attempts to entice Amazon, BeIN Sports, Canal+ and DAZN back to the negotiating table.
The rights were previously held by Amazon, which paid €275 million (US$301 million) a season to show eight fixtures per week, with Canal+ showing the other two games via a sub-licensing deal with BeIN Sports worth €330 million (US$361.2 million) annually. Both deals concluded at the end of last season.
Amazon’s cut price deal was the result of the collapse of Ligue 1’s previous €814 million a year agreement with Mediapro, which launched the Telefoot network to show the games. Canal+, frustrated at being unable to renegotiate its contract following the collapse of Telefoot and the process at which the rights were re-awarded to Amazon in 2021, took both matters the courts and failed on both counts.
Canal+ has since said it isn’t interested in any deal with LFP, ending a near 40-year relationship.
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