It was during a lunch about six months ago that the idea was born. This Tuesday, the Spanish group, broadcaster of 80% of Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 from next season (and until 2024), formalized to everyone's surprise a partnership with the TF 1 group to baptize its new Telefoot channel.
If football fans could immediately appreciate the announcement of the arrival of ten best Ligue 1 posters from the duo Grégoire Margotton- Bixente Lizarazu for comments, they will have to wait before knowing all the practical details to follow the recovery of the championship at the end of August. In the meantime, and while Canal + will broadcast two games a day, here are the answers to the questions that arise after this Médiapro-TF1 agreement.
Why this name, Telefoot? Since the Sino-Spanish group Mediapro recovered the TV rights for future seasons, its leaders have been looking for how to call their new channel in France. "Rather than inventing something new, we have moved towards tradition," says Jaume Roures, its president. And there is no brand more identified in football than Telefoot for more than 40 years ”. Julien Bergeaud, Managing Director of Mediapro France, appreciates "an intergenerational brand that also attracts female audiences". "It is also a brand that has continuous innovation and lives on digital," he adds.
Will the “Telefoot” program disappear? No. It will still be broadcast on TF 1 on Sunday at 11 a.m., while on the channel, a magazine will be scheduled from noon to 1 p.m. However, the agreements will not allow the Sunday broadcast of TF 1 to show extracts from matches. "I deeply regret it," said François Pellissier, director of sports for TF 1 on Europe 1.
Will we be able to see a PSG-OM in clear on TF 1? No. Jaume Roures, the boss of Mediapro, reminded him during his online press conference: “We bought the rights to pay TV. There are no free-to-air matches in this agreement with TF 1, nor in the contract with the League. "
When will the chain start? In August, on the occasion of the resumption of the championships. The new official calendar of French football, shaken by the coronavirus crisis, provides for a restart of Ligue 1 on August 23, one day after Ligue 2. Its leaders await the official calendar. "If there was a Champions Trophy, for example, it would be our first match," notes Jaume Roures. But we don't know yet. In any case, in August, the chain will be present and alive. "
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Where will we see Telefoot? It will still be necessary to wait ten days before knowing more. "We are chatting with everyone" simply assured Jaume Roures about potential distributors. In addition to the traditional players, discussions with Facebook, Amazon and Apple have been initiated. Roures just stressed: “With Canal, discussions took place for four or five months without moving forward. But they have reached an agreement with BeIN Sports. It wouldn't make sense now. We'll see. After this partnership with TF 1, the operator Bouygues Telecom now seems to be in a good position. Specific marketing for bars and restaurants will also be launched.
How much will the monthly subscription cost? "Around 25 euros". This is the price announced since May 2018 when Mediapro has recovered a large part of the rights of French football. “It is not yet final. Obviously, we will take into account the economic situation, "said Jaume Roures before stressing that it was the price" the cheapest "to have access to" the best football ". Faced with this tariff which many nevertheless consider high, he specifies: “It is also in relation to what we have to pay to the League. If we owed the League less money, we could lower it. ” As a reminder, the number of subscribers necessary for Telefoot's financial balance is still set at 3.5 million.
What impact would closed-door matches have? The prospect of a resumption in camera of Ligue 1 in the event of an extension of the health crisis does not worry by the leaders of Mediapro. "We will broadcast them," they say. Jaume Roures nevertheless hopes that the conditions will be met for a return of the public to the stadiums. "In the same way that I think we should have finished the current season, I think it will be very important to start the next one in the best conditions. Afterwards, we can also say that if people can't go to the stadium, the TV will reach more audiences… ”
Does the agreement with TF 1 provide for other collaborations? In addition to the license for the Telefoot brand, an editorial and production partnership has been established. TF 1 will produce the Sunday noon magazine for the Mediapro channel as well as "Vintage Telefoots" on the great moments of French football. Finally, the new channel will broadcast "Daily Life - Telefoot", the digital version of the TF 1 Sunday meeting. "In sports, partnerships between pay and free channels have always seemed essential to me," underlines François Pellissier . This is a good example of what we should do. In the future, Jaume Roures believes that this complementarity with TF 1 could even "help the two groups" when buying TV rights for a Euro or a World Cup.
Who will be the recruits in the chain? Again, it will take a few days to know the cast of the new channel. "We are only on June 2," says Jaume Roures. Jean-Michel Roussier, the editorial manager of Telefoot, finalizes the latest contacts. The name of consultant Franck Sauzée was mentioned by L'Equipe, as was that of journalist Anne-Laure Bonnet. Currently on TF 1, journalist Marc Benoist could go from Telefoot to ... Telefoot.