Canal + is challenging the League's market consultation

Canal + seized the Paris Commercial Court to contest the market consultation launched by the Professional Football League (LFP) for its TV rights.

The encrypted channel considers "anticompetitive" this market consultation which will end on February 1 for the reopening of the Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 matches abandoned by the defective broadcaster Mediapro, according to the same source, confirming information from the daily L ' Team.

A hearing has been set for February 19, more than two weeks after the theoretical submission of offers by interested broadcasters.

The League indeed launched last week a partial "market consultation".

It only wants to put in competition only 80% of its L1 and L2 matches, those of the 2020-2024 cycle initially won by the Sino-Spanish group Mediapro, which negotiated its withdrawal in December.

But Canal +, which broadcasts the remaining 20% ​​of Ligue 1 via a sub-license agreement signed with the beIN Sports channel for 330 million euros per year, wishes to restore these rights so that all matches are put back into competition. via a global call for tenders.

From a source having knowledge of the file, Canal + claims to be the victim of "unfair treatment" and requests the invalidation of this market consultation.

According to the same source, the legal summons was filed Monday afternoon, in transparency with beIN Sports which shares the legal analysis of the encrypted channel and will side with its partner on this file.

Asked by AFP, neither Canal +, nor the LFP, nor beIN Sports had publicly reacted to this announcement in the early evening Monday.

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