The Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) has announced the launch of ‘Ligue 1+’, its new channel for broadcasting Ligue 1. The move represents a revolution in the French football broadcasting landscape, which has been mired in a serious TV rights crisis for several months now.
Launched on August 15 and available on most French distributors, the new channel aims to win back an audience weary of the many recent changes in broadcasters, who have abandoned subscriptions deemed too expensive in favour of IPTV — in November 2024, according to an Ipsos study, 37% of people who watched Ligue 1 did so illegally.
While Nicolas de Tavernost, CEO of LFP Media, has announced that its operating costs “will be around 66 million euros” for the season, the Ligue is hoping to attract one million subscribers before the end of the season in order to meet its targets.
To do so, every week it will offer live coverage of eight of the weekend’s nine fixtures, while the last fixture, for which the rights are held by BeIN Sports, will be available on a deferred basis. The Champions Trophy, the two end-of-season multiplexes and the play-offs will also be broadcast on Ligue 1+, along with reports, docu-series and interviews.
“It’s a platform that will offer stories and immersion,” explained Jerome Cazadieu, the channel’s senior marketing and editorial director.
In terms of price, a subscription with a 12-month commitment will be available for €14.99 per month (with two users). A no-commitment offer will also be available for €19.99 per month (with two users). ‘For under-26s, a future offer of €9.99 per month with no commitment on mobiles, tablets and computers,’ also announced LFP Media.
An attractive offer, a far cry from the €29.99 per month for a 12-month commitment (€29.99 per month without commitment) offered by DAZN for eight matches per day last year, which should no doubt appeal to many users, new and old alike.
