Online retail giant Amazon has established a stronger foothold in the French marketplace by landing a package of domestic rights for eight Ligue 1 matches per week across the next three seasons after submitting a late bid.
Ahead of the French Professional Football League (LFP) board meeting, Amazon lodged an offer reported to be worth €250m ($302.7m) per year for the eight Ligue 1 matches per week previously held by Mediapro agency and production group. After the bid from Amazon was accepted by LFP, the long-standing broadcaster Canal Plus was forced to pull out of its agreement to broadcast the other Ligue 1 matches.
What is the whole scenario surrounding the broadcast rights of Ligue 1 and Ligue 2?
After the deal with Téléfoot/Mediapro collapsed it is no secret that LFP has been struggling to find a new broadcaster for Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 that can cover four years between 2021 and 2024. Following the Mediapro fiasco, it had reached an agreement with Canal + for the broadcaster to carry all the rest of the Ligue 1 action for the 2020/21 campaign.
However, Canal+ wants to broadcast only what they consider as the two best matches of game week, namely those of Saturday afternoon and Sunday evening in exchange for €370m a year. However, Bein Sports jumped into the mix with an offer that it will broadcast eight matches per week but is seeking a discount on their Ligue 2 rights. LFP wanted around €32m annually for the dissemination of two Ligue 2 matches until 2024, but Bein Sports would like to reduce this amount to €20m.
LFP had reportedly advised Canal+ and Bein to reach an agreement so can both the parties could benefit from the deal but Amazon came and swept away the deal they have also acquired rights to eight matches per week from Ligue 2, for which it bid €9m per year.