The soap opera continues.
In the thorny issue of TV rights for the French championships, here is yet another episode: Canal + seized the Paris Commercial Court on Monday to contest the market consultation launched by the Professional Football League (LFP) for its TV rights according to AFP confirming information from the Team.
The encrypted channel considers "anticompetitive" this market consultation which will end on February 1 for the reopening of competition between Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 matches abandoned by the defective broadcaster Mediapro.
A hearing has been set for February 19, more than two weeks after the theoretical submission of offers by interested broadcasters.
The channel believes it is the victim of "unfair treatment"
The League indeed launched last week a partial "market consultation".
It only wants to put in competition only 80% of its L1 and L 2 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 the matches are brought back to life. competition through a global call for tenders.
From a source having knowledge of the file, Canal + claims to be a victim of "unfair treatment" and asks for the invalidation of this market consultation.
According to this 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.
Canal +, the LFP, BeIN Sports have not yet reacted publicly to this announcement in the early evening on Monday.