In this period of sales, the operators who hold the rights to Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 say to themselves that they can all get a rebate.
While Canal + recently recovered all of the L1 by adding a donation of 35 million euros to its contract, the other two operators, beIN Sport and Free, are also trying to cut prices for the current season.
BeIN, which pays 331 million euros per year for the right to broadcast two matches per day, has sub-licensed this right to Canal +.
But the Qatari channel has joined Canal + in an action with the Paris commercial court so that this lot, which runs until 2021, is put back into play next year during a total call for tenders for the rights of the football.
Free awaits a new call for tenders at the end of the season
And, according to L'Equipe, Free, the third thief, who pays 41.8 million euros annually for the rights of the championship on mobile phones almost directly, also wants to go to the showdown with the Professional Football League ( LFP).
According to the sports daily, Thomas Reynaud, managing director of Free, sent a letter to the LFP on February 17, asking for a drop in rights, considering that the L1 has seen its value depreciated in recent months.
For the leader of the operator, his lot is now of less value in the context of the division by two of the rights of French football.
Thomas Reynaud also proposed to return the lot at the end of the season so that a call for tenders is launched for all L1 matches for the next three seasons.
To these complaints, Vincent Labrune, the boss of the LFP, replied no.
This season, Free, which has honored all its payments, owes two more: April 5 (7.1 million euros) and June 5 (6.7 million euros).