"Broadcasters pay for a show, so there is a problem", analyzes Bernard Caïazzo, president of the Saint-Etienne Sports Association and the Premier League union. Initially spared from the closed-door meetings, the media with broadcasting rights are now vulnerable to the coronavirus. In Europe, the major football championships are suspended, as are the knockout stages of the Champions League. Ditto for other team sports in France as well as other major sporting events.
"For the moment, the channels are still able to broadcast because it is a suspension and therefore a postponementreassures Christophe Lepetit, head of economic studies at the Center for Sports Law and Economics (CDES). But in case of cancellation of the end of the football championship, I have the feeling that Canal + and BeIN Sports could ask for a refund to the LFP if a case of force majeure is foreseen in the contracts. " Value of TV rights for a day in Ligue 1: around 20 million euros, according to Nathalie Boy de la Tour, president of the Professional Football League.
What about programming and subscribers?
For thematic channels devoted to sport, the problem is significant. “Their model is based on the broadcast of live sporting events. There, they no longer have any content other than reruns or documentaries ", explains Antoine Feuillet, teacher-researcher at the University of Lille specializing in sports management. General delegate of Sporsora, an association dedicated to the sports economy, Magali Tezenas du Montel is concerned about the case of RMC Sport, which pays more than 300 million euros per year to broadcast the Champions League: "They will try to hold on by covering the impact of the coronavirus on sports competitions but this cannot last. Right now, newsrooms are wondering how they are going to fill out their program schedules. "
Non-specialized broadcasters have more viable solutions. "Canal + can offer other content to replace purely sporting content with series or films on Sunday evenings for example", says Antoine Feuillet. However, these channels are likely to face a drop in advertising prices. These allow them to cover TV rights thanks to the audiences generated by sporting events. "If the Euro is not broadcast in 2020 but in 2021, the prices of advertising networks will drop for TF1 and M6 compared to forecasts at the beginning of the year", evokes Christophe Lepetit.
Content issues may affect the number of subscribers. “In addition to live broadcasting, channels specializing in sport are mainly funded by subscriptions, which are often non-binding. If the situation persists for too long, subscribers may have to cancel their subscription, even temporarily ”, estimates the head of the CDES. Antoine Feuillet adds that the TV rights perspective took precedence over the camera behind closed doors: “The different parties said that supporters going to the stadium were likely to redirect to broadcasters to attend the meetings. "
Clubs not spared
Some sports enjoy greater TV rights, notably football for which "These rights can finance clubs up to 60, even 70% against 22% in rugby", says Christophe Lepetit. Although it is staggered, a suspended payment for TV rights could therefore have serious repercussions on the finances of certain clubs, such as those disrupted by financial fair play. With the ticketing channels already temporarily cut, sponsors would become the last major source of revenue for clubs. While the broadcasters are currently in a logic of support for sports bodies, the member of the CDES prefers to be optimistic: "We are lucky to be more on the end of the championships. In the worst case, only a quarter of the total revenue from TV rights will be affected. It would have been much worse in October, for example. "
The potential long-term consequences of this episode should not be overlooked, however. "The clubs will suffer whatever happens because we will have to reset the momentum once all this has fallen and this, in a context of mistrust", dreads Christophe Lepetit. Magali Tezenas du Montel goes even further: according to her, "The contracts with broadcasters will not be the same from now on".
