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Ligue 1 TV rights: a first hearing this Friday between the LFP and beIN sports

2021-07-30T06:39:17.396Z


One week before the broadcast of the Championship, the Professional Football League and the Qatari channel clash over TV rights for the famous Lot 3 of Ligue 1.


The Paris court awaits them firmly at 10 a.m.

The Professional Football League (LFP) and beIN sports clash this Friday, July 30 for a first round around TV rights for lot 3 of Ligue 1, one week before the Championship is broadcast.

In recent days, the Qatari-born broadcaster and the League have assigned each other in summary proceedings.

Today's hearing concerns the case brought by the League against its contractual partner beIN, which recalls the obligations and terms of their contract signed in 2018. “

In this contract, it is written that if Canal + does not broadcast one or more matches, beIN Sports should automatically broadcast them,

”summarizes a person close to the case.

Read also: Ligue 1: Canal + sent a letter of termination of its sublicense contract to beIN

According to our information, beIN sports has named Canal + as co-defendant in this case.

It remains to be seen whether representatives of the channel of Vincent Bolloré's group will appear in court this morning.

A frozen contract termination for Canal +

At the end of the day Thursday, the president of the commercial court of Nanterre decided to freeze the request of Canal + to temporarily terminate its sub-license contract with beIN for the broadcasting of the two matches of L1, resulting from the famous lot 3. In the morning , beIN had seized the court for "

unlawful termination

". Two days earlier, the encrypted channel of the Vivendi group had indeed sent a letter to Youssef Al-Obaidly, CEO of beIN Media Group, to terminate their contract signed at the end of 2019, based on the “

3G clause

”. The latter specifies that if "

Canal + buys the rights to football from beIN, beIN must for its part do everything possible so that Canal + can dispose of it in the best possible way

", summarizes a person close to the file.

However, since mid-June, and the attribution by the Professional Football League of the broadcasting of 80% of L1 matches to Amazon for 250 million euros from the 2021-2022 season, Canal + had not ceased to ask beIN to sue the League for "

distortion of competition

" and "

abuse of dominant position

." What beIN had refused, until the Nanterre commercial court suggested it do so last week, in its decision on the dispute between the two chains. Indeed, beIN Sports finally initiated proceedings on Tuesday against the LFP, with the Civil Court under article 11.95. "

The president of the Nanterre commercial court will issue a firm decision next week.

In the meantime, he decided to freeze the request for Canal + since beIN ended up filing a complaint against the League,

”said a person close to the case.

The League could sue Canal +

In the coming days, the story could still see a new twist.

Since the League could directly sue Canal + in court.

A possibility for which the encrypted channel is preparing, according to our information.

On which channel will French viewers be able to watch the first day of Ligue 1? The outcome is still uncertain. In the current state of discussions, beIN could be forced to broadcast the two football matches on August 7 and 8 (Troyes-PSG on Saturday at 9 p.m. and Metz-Lille on Sunday at 5 p.m.), if Canal + does not do so. . However, "

no question for the Qatari channel to pay the least penny to the LFP if Canal + does not pay it

" confides a source familiar with the matter. A first installment of 56 million euros is expected on August 5.

Source: lefigaro

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