Canal +, which had lost the rights to broadcast Ligue 1 (L1) from the 2020-2021 season in favor of Mediapro and BeIN Sports, will be able to continue to broadcast part of the competition, thanks to an important agreement that the channel is negotiating with BeIN Sports.
In a joint statement on Monday, December 9, the two groups announced exclusive talks for a five-year distribution and sub-licensing agreement. In this context, BeIN Sports plans in particular to grant Canal + the authorization to exploit its rights concerning the L1 over the period 2020-2024.
In detail, these rights will allow Canal + to broadcast two games per day of the championship, including twenty-eight of the thirty-eight best posters of each season, from the next season (2020-2021). For its part, the Spanish group Mediapro has acquired the rights to broadcast the ten best posters of each season.
Broadcast rights of the Champions League
The agreement under discussion between the two groups also provides for Canal + to offer in its offerings all BeIN Sports channels and their content. And, in parallel, Canal + will become the exclusive distributor of BeIN Sports in France, with all other platforms and operators. In an interview at Figaro, the boss of Canal +, Maxime Saada, specified that his group would buy the rights of diffusion "At cost price, ie 330 million euros".
This agreement follows the allocation of broadcasting rights in France for the very strategic Champions League (C1), for the period 2021 to 2024, Canal + and BeIN Sports – and TF1, which will broadcast the final in the clear .
With this twofold twist, Canal + is making a big comeback on the French football rights market, which in recent years has become more and more fragmented in favor of new players, such as RMC Sport (Altice), which won the rights of the C1 during the previous call for tenders, or Mediapro.
