The more the hours go by, the thicker the hypothesis becomes. What if everything was finally going to be settled behind the scenes, on a case-by-case basis, far from the very formal call for tenders? As of Monday evening, little information had yet been leaked about the state of negotiations concerning the TV rights of Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 for the period 2024-2029. We have just learned that BeIN Sports will position itself on Lot 2 of the first division, as well as on Ligue 2, which it already broadcasts.
For the rest, radio silence. Each broadcaster has been keeping its intentions a mystery in the last few hours. The LFP has known for weeks, even more so since Canal+ slammed the door, that the prices set to win the two lots of the L1 would not necessarily be reached on Tuesday, October 17, the closing date of the auction. As a reminder, these sums amount to €530 million (choices 1, 2 and 4) and €270 million (other six matches) respectively. The president of the League, Vincent Labrune, has the ambition to reach one billion while at the same time advancing international rights.
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Before the submission of qualitative bids on Monday and then quantitative bids on Tuesday, the number of declared candidates could be counted on the fingers of one hand. While offers from DAZN and BeIN are expected, the same cannot be said for Amazon and Canal, which want to straddle this first round to only start in a second phase, during the negotiation phase. This is known as the over-the-counter (OTC) phase.
A fifth and final surprise guest?
"If Amazon had decided to buy Lot 1 at a high price, the announcement of Canal's renunciation must have made it change its strategy and wait for a second phase to buy Lot 1 at a lower price," said a person close to the matter. According to the same source, barring a huge surprise, the battle will be between Amazon and Canal and its allies, including the outsider DAZN, in the coming days.
Firmly established in Europe (rights in Italy, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Women's Champions League), this streaming company covets the French market. Internally, we assure that we are targeting both lots, without specifying whether we will do so via a call for tenders or by mutual agreement.
A few more hours, and the bluffing game will soon be over. Everyone will then have to announce their plans without knowing who will sit at the table. A fifth and final surprise guest, like Apple, which has won the North American Championship (MLS) for ten seasons, cannot be ruled out.