He is an actor who has gained significant weight in recent months in the landscape of French sport.
Main broadcaster of Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 and holder of part of the rights to Roland-Garros, Amazon Prime Video is the only Gafam to have invested in this market.
Before starting his second season of coverage of the L1 in a month, the general manager of Prime Video Europe, Alex Green, took stock on Wednesday during an exchange with several media on the innovations of the group and the different markets.
Ligue 1 and Ligue 2: a new annual offer from 89 euros
This is the novelty of this second year.
Amazon Prime Video announces the launch of a pass for the whole season, including 80% of Ligue 1 including the ten best posters and the Ligue 2 multiplex on Saturday at 7 p.m. demand puts it on sale for 89 euros from July 11 to August 28, the date of its first major meeting, PSG-Monaco.
It will then be available at 99 euros.
Until now, the subscription was at 12.99 euros per month.
To this amount must be added the subscription to Amazon Prime which is 49 euros per year or 5.99 euros per month.
In summary, the subscription for ten months of French football amounts, with the most advantageous offer, to 13.98 euros per month.
"It's good for the subscribers and it's good for us to have people committing for the year, it allows us to continue to improve the quality of our offer and I continue to think that the offer at 12.99 euros is attractive if you come for a month, underlines Alex Green.
But we have noticed that people are coming back, so it seemed interesting to offer them this season's offer.
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Read alsoLigue 1: Amazon assures that "at least a million people" watch its L1 posters
True to the policy of the American company, the leader did not wish to give figures on his hearings for his first season.
The only known one, broadcast in December, is that of at least a million people in front of the big posters.
Major consultant of the broadcaster, Thierry Henry is back for next season in a team that will remain the same for the most part.
In addition, the Ligue 2 multiplex will no longer be broadcast by the L'Équipe channel, but Amazon is working with this group to sell other rights to the elite antechamber.
The agreement with TF 1, which allowed the first channel to broadcast match extracts on its Sunday program "Téléfoot", has not yet been renewed, "but I'm sure we will continue", said Green.
Roland-Garros: more than 3 million viewers for Nadal-Djokovic
After a first year disrupted by health restrictions, Amazon was able to broadcast its first “normal” Roland-Garros in May.
“The audience this season has increased significantly, we saw an audience of more than 3 million people in front of the Nadal-Djokovic quarter-final
(broadcast in the clear and without compulsory subscription to Prime Video)
, underlines Green.
Roland-Garros was important for us, we are looking at the rest.
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The attribution of the clash between the Spaniard and the Serb had been a source of friction between the management of the tournament and the president of France Télévisions, the historic broadcaster of the event on clay.
Alex Green did not wish to comment on the statements of the leader of the group.
“She has the right to say whatever she wants.
The FFT is responsible for the programming of the tournament, it is their decision, he slips.
The evening session is new to the tournament and should be the showpiece match.
It's important for the tournament, not just for the broadcaster.
But in the end, it's not us who decide, it's the tournament.
»
Beyond this controversy, Amazon Prime, holder of the rights to night sessions and meetings broadcast on the Simonne-Mathieu court, says it is ready for changes on certain points.
The platform, for example, says it is ready to let go of the start of the match scheduled for the evening, at 9 p.m. for the moment.
“I wouldn't mind if this match started earlier,” explains his European director.
It must stay in the evening, but if it's a little earlier, it's not a problem for us.
“The idea has already been mentioned by the boss of the tournament, Amélie Mauresmo.
Champions League: no rights, but "no need for more volume"
Alex Green also did not wish to confirm or deny the involvement of Amazon Prime Video in the call for tenders for the rights to the Champions League from 2024 to 2027, won by Canal +.
“For France, I will not talk about the calls for tenders in which we participated or not, cuts the person concerned short.
We already have more than 600 games per season, we don't need more volume.
This does not call into question our prospects on the French market.
“However, he did not rule out, in principle, the possibility of a sub-license agreement with Canal + (the encrypted channel currently has one with the Altice group, which broadcasts matches on RMC Sport) .
But the next challenge for the platform will be the launch of the call for tenders for Ligue 1 rights for the period 2024-2028, probably in 2023. A year ago, Amazon acquired them to everyone's surprise against 259 million euros per, Ligue 2 included.
A sum much lower than the 814 of Mediapro?
“It was an unusual situation, everyone was under pressure, he admits.
Next time it will be more classic I think.
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But will Amazon stay on French football if the bill goes up, the announced objective of the LFP?
“For Ligue 1, we are making a major effort, we are investing a lot of ourselves in this market.
We wouldn't do it if it was to say:
We come, we leave
.
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