The position of Canal +, which chose Monday, January 25 to take legal action against the Professional Football League (LFP), follows the line announced by the encrypted channel.
During a meeting with the leaders of the authority, the previous week, its officials had warned that they would not hesitate to seize the commercial court of Paris to contest the call for tenders launched by the LFP.
What has therefore been done.
The Vivendi subsidiary denies that the League has the right to launch a market consultation only on the lots formerly held by Mediapro for the period 2020-2024 (80% of the rights).
It requires a global tender with the two games on Saturday at 9 p.m. and Sunday at 5 p.m. that it holds and which costs it 332 million euros per year.
A price that she considers disconnected from the reality of the market and totally prohibitive while the Covid-19 pandemic has upset the spectacle of Ligue 1.
Does this posture imply that the pay channel necessarily withdraws from the call for tenders, the closing of which is set for February 1?
This is in any case what Maxime Saada, chairman of the management board of Canal + and right-hand man of Vincent Bolloré, recently informed the leaders of the LFP.
And so far, it's safe to say that the historic championship broadcaster has stuck to what he said.
A standoff and several scenarios
The defection of the encrypted channel would be a blow to the League.
Indeed, today it has no other serious operator with whom to discuss.
Canal is the only interlocutor with whom the League had really started discussions over-the-counter during its prospection with potential broadcasters last fall.
A situation that could recur if the call for tenders, for lack of candidates or serious offers, proves unsuccessful.
But if Canal decides not to respond to this express consultation of the League - which is far from certain at this time - it runs the risk of seeing a competitor such as Amazon steal one of the two most interesting lots, or even the most interesting ones. 2, put back on the market by the League.
Here again, this potential buyer will have to reach the reserve price, and be able to present a bank guarantee or references established by a rating agency.
The encrypted channel can also acquire and, if it wins, drop its complaint.
This is the other scenario imagined by the observers of this strange showdown.
In the meantime, offers must be submitted Monday between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. at the LFP before being studied in the afternoon.
For an unveiling of the new broadcaster (s) - if there are any - probably at the end of the day.
The League reserves the right to raise a candidate to ask him to increase his stake.
But for that, there would have to be real competition.
New broadcaster (s) or not, the Paris Commercial Court has set its hearing for February 19.
In the meantime, the clubs are on the verge of asphyxiation and in Ligue 2, Caen has just announced the elimination of around twenty positions within its staff.