As with every resumption of the championship, football fans will have to sort through their pay channels to continue to follow their favorite teams. The start of the 2020 school year is marked by the arrival of the Téléfoot channel, which will broadcast 80% of Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 for the next four seasons. But also the Champions League and the Europa League this season.
Telefoot hits hard
The countdown is coming to an end for Téléfoot. This Monday, the channel begins to broadcast trailers on its antenna. The first live will take place five days later, Friday, August 21, at 5 p.m., just before the opening match of Ligue 1, between Marseille and Saint-Etienne. Téléfoot has little to do with TF1. The front page has just rented him the name of his Sunday magazine and will lend him 20 evenings in the year the tandem Grégoire Margotton-Bixente Lizarazu to comment in particular on the big shocks of Sunday evening.
Behind the Téléfoot channel hides the Sino-Spanish group Mediapro which bought most of the rights to Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 in May 2018 for nearly 800 million euros. In detail, it will exclusively offer eight Ligue 1 matches per day, including the 10 best posters of the season, and 8 Ligue 2 matches, or 80% of the two championships. It is difficult to do without it for football fans, especially since the new channel has bought from RMC Sport the co-broadcasting rights for the matches of the 2020-2021 season of the Champions League and the Europa League.
Canal + resists
In great difficulty a little over a year ago, Canal Plus struggled to continue to offer football to its subscribers. It bought two Ligue 1 matches a day from BeIN Sports, those on Saturday at 9 p.m. and Sunday at 5 p.m. That's 28 of the 38 best posters each season. From September 2021, the encrypted channel will exclusively offer the Champions League while continuing to offer the English Premier League.
It was therefore impossible to bury Canal. Especially since this re-entry, it offers for 25 euros / month and a two-year commitment (15 euros / month for those under 26), an offer coupled with BeIN Sports, which broadcasts, for its part, the Spanish Liga, Italian Serie A and German Bundesliga. RMC Sport is one of the big losers in the “big bang” of sports rights. After the semi-finals of the 2020 Champions League, it will no longer have any football exclusivity.
How much does it cost ?
Téléfoot is now opening the subscription forms. For its launch, three options are possible: one at 14.90 euros, with only Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 on mobile devices (smartphone and tablet); one at 25.90 euros - in the event of a 12-month commitment - or 29.90 without commitment, which will allow you to watch all the content of the channel on the device of your choice. Finally, the third formula at 29.90 euros, also with a one-year commitment, will allow you to watch Téléfoot and benefit from Netflix content.
All that remains is to find the site link to subscribe online, Telefoot is still very poorly referenced on search engines. “At the same time last year, the viewer should have subscribed to Canal +, BeIN Sports and RMC Sport to have the same offer, ie 45.90 euros per month in promotion and 65.90 euros at the normal rate” , recalled Julien Bergeaud, Managing Director France of Mediapro, to the newspaper Le Monde.
Direct access to SFR and Bouygues
The two operators have signed an agreement with the Téléfoot channel. It will be available directly via the SFR boxes and, from August 26, on those of Bouygues. Orange and Free have not yet reached an agreement with Mediapro. Their subscribers will then have to watch the matches on a computer or via a connected television. This kind of negotiation is always complicated, since the pay sports channels ask Internet service providers to pay them a guaranteed minimum turnover.
No multi-screens
A partnership with Netflix does not mean that we take all the principles of the online video streaming platform. Téléfoot cannot be viewed in multi-screens. “You can watch Téléfoot, the football channel on as many terminals as you want, but you will only be able to watch the flow of our service on one terminal at a time,” we can read on the site. So no question of giving your codes to a friend and watching the same game from a distance.
How does the offer work with Netflix?
“People who already have a Netflix subscription are eligible for the Téléfoot + Netflix offer. It is not necessary to unsubscribe from Netflix to enjoy it, ”writes the channel. The offer will thus make it possible to simultaneously watch the programs of the SVOD service and those of Téléfoot. You can watch them on your smartphone, tablet, connected TV or your computer. Please note, each platform keeps its content. Concretely, you will not be able to launch the episode of your favorite series on the Téléfoot portal or watch PSG-OM on Netflix.
An offer for bars
Mediapro has prepared a specific offer for establishments welcoming the public, which will only offer Ligue 1 and Ligue 2, not the Champions League and the Europa League. It will cost bar owners at least 79.99 euros per month excluding tax, to which must be added an access fee of 33 euros. For 66 euros, Téléfoot will also make decoders available if the bar does not have a compatible television. Finally, note that the more screens the establishment has, the more expensive the subscription will be.