Apple TV in talks with Ligue 1 to buy broadcasting rights

The Ligue 1 failed to find lucrative broadcasting rights

Apple TV and the LFP are in talks to purchase the Ligue 1 television rights. The Professional Football League (LFP) of French soccer cancelled the domestic television licence sale for Ligue 1 since no offers came in at the intended amount.

For the upcoming cycle spanning 2024 and 2029, the LFP had set a revenue target of €1 billion (US$1.05 billion) per year across its domestic and foreign assets.

The most costly deal, estimated at €530 million (US$559.6 million), includes the first two selections of Ligue 1 games each game day in addition to the fourth-choice game. The remaining six games were part of the second biggest providing, which cost €270 million (US$285.1 million).

The Athletic claims that there was an expectation that BeIN Sports and DAZN would engage in a bidding battle with the league’s current rightsholders, Amazon Prime Video and Canal+. There was also hope that Apple would become involved.

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DAZN and BeIN reportedly made offers for the rights, but they fell short of LFP’s demands, according to L’Équipe. According to The Athletic, DAZN is holding back on investing in a bid for the UK Premier League rights, while BeIN is reportedly happy with its present line-up.

Regarding Canal+, the French pay-TV network had previously stated that it was not interested in participating in the tender process.

It’s thought that the LFP would now approach companies who haven’t made an offer for its rights, potentially including Amazon and Canal+.

The LFP has also delayed the bidding process for its Ligue 2 rights, which are presently held by BeIN, due to its inability to get a strong bid for its Ligue 1 rights. Additionally, it is awaiting the conclusion of its procedure for auctioning off its global rights; offers are due by November 2nd.

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