The Ligue 1 domestic rights in France are up for renewal, and DAZN is emerging as the favorite to broadcast the league for the next five seasons. The streaming service is currently broadcasting Ligue 1 via Canal+, a sports channel in France. DAZN is also the home of the French top flight in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Japan and Portugal. Restoring the domestic TV rights to Ligue 1 would help set up a large portfolio for DAZN.
In 2023, Ligue 1 tendered its rights for 2024 to 2025. The league wanted to bring in more money in its rights deals compared to previous years. It saw the Premier League’s growth domestically as the potential future in France. However, the rights offers in bids did not meet Ligue 1’s expectations. Consequently, Ligue 1 canceled the bidding process to reassess. Now, the league is dealing with rights deals privately.
The private discussions have helped DAZN establish its place at the top of the pecking order when it comes to the next rights holder for Ligue 1 in France. The other bidders include beIN SPORTS, Amazon and Canal+. There are certain limitations among each of those, though. For example, Amazon is not willing to pay the fees Ligue 1 is demanding for domestic rights. It may still be in the market for individual games, such as those on a Friday evening. Yet, DAZN is the frontrunner for the full package of rights for the next five seasons.
Any change in international rights?
DAZN is an international brand, and their coverage of Ligue 1 does reach into multiple continents. For viewers in the United States, DAZN‘s soccer coverage is fairly limited. The coverage of soccer on DAZN is specific to women’s league and women’s cup soccer from Italy and France, as well as UEFA Women’s Champions League games. Notably, that does not include the men’s side of French soccer. Instead, most sports fans know DAZN for its pay-per-view coverage of boxing or mixed martial arts.
However, the existing relationship between women’s and men’s soccer in France could open the door for DAZN to keep tabs on entering the American market. As things stand, beIN SPORTS has the rights to Ligue 1 in the United States. The French league is one of the last outposts beIN has for its American market. That, along with the Turkish Super Lig and the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations, makes beIN a desirable entity for soccer fans in the United States.
DAZN could swoop in to capture Ligue 1 in the United States. The cost of the deal in France could impact how much availability DAZN has with funds to get the rights to the French division in other countries. For comparison, reports indicate beIN is paying around $85 million per year for the American rights to Ligue 1 coverage. However what DAZN doesn’t have are any television networks in the United States.
Ligue 1 lowering its price in France
Something to keep an eye on, though, is that Ligue 1 is not expecting to pull in billions of dollars in its next rights deal. Early reports claimed Ligue 1 wanted over $1 billion per season, but the lack of interest from broadcasters ruled out that possibility.
