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Ligue 1 TV rights: will Amazon save French football?

2021-01-22T17:16:57.707Z


The American e-commerce giant is considering responding to the call for tenders launched by the Professional Football League.


Will the American giant Amazon be the savior of French football?

For several months and the failure of Mediapro, rumors of an incursion of the online sales platform into the TV rights market have been coming back regularly.

It is even on the way to becoming a sea serpent. In 2018, the leaders of the LFP had already met the French representatives of Amazon before the launch of their call for tenders for audiovisual rights for the period 2020-2024.

The latter had listened attentively, before deciding that they were passing their turn.

Reason: they then reserved for the next round initially scheduled for 2024.

Rebelote this season after the Mediapro crisis and the return of 80% of the audiovisual rights of L1 and L2 to the League.

Its managers again consulted all audiovisual operators, including Amazon, when they planned in the fall to deal by mutual agreement with their new broadcaster.

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At that time, could the e-commerce specialist have followed and contracted with the LFP?

Presumably no.

We know that the American group does not usually position itself on the purchase of rights in their entirety, but rather to favor Premium bundles broadcast on its Amazon Prime Video streaming platform (cost of the subscription: 49 euros per year).

This is what he did in particular in the Premier League, by acquiring in December 2019 20 games per year for three seasons, for 106.6 million euros.

An operation that he then repeated in Germany, then in Italy by winning part of the broadcasting rights for the Champions League in these respective countries.

Again for three seasons between 2021 and 2024. It seems that the company of Jeff Bezos was not ready to increase this sum of 100 million euros for the French rights if it had to sign with the LFP.

Now that the League has launched a call for tenders, the strategy of Amazon, which refuses to comment on the current procedure, is analyzed and closely scrutinized.

Lot A, with one match per day, including the ten big posters of the championship, appears to meet its ambitions to offer "high-end" to its subscribers.

The Mediapro fiasco

Amazon leaders will still have to consider that the L1 is quite strategic for them.

But we must not neglect lot B. Despite a number of important matches, PSG meetings should find their place.

Indeed, the capital club is often prevented from playing on Sunday because of the Champions League.

According to several sources, Amazon has never cut ties with the LFP and the silence of its leaders bears the mark of reflection.

After having offered part of the rights to Roland-Garros for 2021-2023, including future exclusive night sessions, the American giant is openly eyeing a Ligue 1 on sale.

The current situation, marked by an automatic devaluation of the value of the championship after the Mediapro fiasco, could encourage it to take the plunge.

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Especially since the position of Canal +, historical broadcaster of the championship and big favorite of this call for tenders remains very vague.

The encrypted channel may not be, after having recently stated that it would only apply for a global consultation and not on the lots formerly held by Mediapro.

The Vivendi subsidiary is also preparing to challenge this reopening of competition for the rights of the French championship.

Source: leparis

All sports articles on 2021-01-22

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