In this story there is everything: the fight for a product, cash jump, betrayal, grievances, bankruptcy, lawsuits and legal trials. Its main characters are French Ligue 1, managed by LFP (Ligue de Football Professionnel) and the DAZN and Mediapro streaming platform, and the supporting Canal+ or Bein Sports. And it all began in 2019 with … Chinese and French greed.
Hunting for a billion and bankruptcy after a few months
In 2019, looking with jealousy at high television contracts in Germany, Spain or Italy, French Ligue 1 also wanted to earn a lot. She demanded a billion euro a year from possible contractors.
The market conditions seemed good. In addition to existing sports stations, a new Mediapro platform has appeared. It belongs to a Chinese investor who wanted to mix up over the Seine. And he mixed up. Ligue rights 1 bid sharply. So sharp that at some point the battle for the main package was forgiven by Canal+. This station with over two million subscribers and a rich film offer on the market was strong. Even then, she suggested that the money thrown into the league by the platform starting from scratch is unbearable. However, LFP was satisfied. In the four-year contract for 2020-24 with Mediapro, after all, the amount of EUR 780 million for the season, to which EUR 330 million for two matches, decided to add a Canal+for two matches, which signaled that he overpayed.
The French league has never seen money from Mediapro. After a few months, the Chinese announced that they have too few subscribers, bankrupt and want to withdraw. They were not in a bad situation, because the contract did not include financial guarantees, so there was no money from them. Instead of going to the courts, the league authorities proposed a settlement. The sender paid for the matches already presented and added a small part of the penalty for the premature completion of the contract – OK in total. EUR 120 million. And said goodbye to the French market.
Betrayed Canal+ and optimistic DAZN
The MEDAPRO LFP package recovered and sold during the season – first Canal+, and for the next years Amazon for just … 250 million euros. This decision strongly annoyed the Canal+authorities, which still had to pay for its two matches for the round as much as EUR 330 million. And unlike Mediapro, he was solvent. In addition, the station, which showed the league for half a century, was refused the renegotia of the contract or the preferential purchase of an orphaned package. Canal+ felt betrayed and humiliated. He announced that he would not want to have anything to do with Ligue 1 after the ongoing contract. As he suggested, he did. He invested in the Champions League (approx. EUR 470 million per season) and acquired the right to 2027. He did not proceed to the tender at Ligue 1 and from 2024 he did not show. Interestingly, Amazon, who acquired rights at a preferential price (250 million euros per season), also had a problem with expanding the subscriber base and return on investment. As the French media suggested, he was lossy on it.
There were no crowds of broadcasters at the tender for 2024-2029. The more that the LFP operated according to the maxim up to three times art and again looking for a ready buyer to put over 750 million euros. This is why it was not known who would show her a few days before the start of the current season. Ultimately, LFP decided to agree to the offer for an average of EUR 400 million for the season for nine matches from Dazn and one match for Bein Sports for 85 million euros and accessories. Dazn approached the possibility of earning on his contract with optimism, but also entered the termination clauses of the contract after two years, if he failed to obtain 1.5 million subscribers.
He has not lived to see two years, although he persevered from Ligue 1 a little longer than Mediapro. Problems began after half a year.
Application for compensation. Goods defective
In February 2025, Dazn submitted to Tribunal des Activites Economiques (type of economic court) an application for 573 million euros compensation for fraud and misleading during the transaction. According to DAZN lawyers, the goods purchased by their company (here exclusive rights of TV) do not answer what was arranged. From this paragraph – in a simplified way – it is usually used when the buyer discovers the disadvantage of goods, defective, or the fact that the goods itself disagrees with its description, parameters, features, composition of origin. When buying tv rights, it sounds a bit abstract. Dazn is not literally about the fact that the league with Kylian Mbappe was more attractive, and the players, instead of playing nicely and delight, play boring matches that nobody wants to watch. But their arguments come down to this. Dazn informs that it has too few subscribers (over 400,000) and that people do not want to watch an unattractive product on such conditions. LFP does not help in its promotion, does not provide an additional interesting product and does not fight with mass internet piracy, which takes Dazn influence.
According to LFP representatives, this narrative is “aggressive and offensive” and aims only. Lower the contract amount now or obtain compensation that will make Dazn not lose as much as he is losing now. In addition, there is no prospects for improving the situation. Instead of assumed one and a half million subscribers, it has over 3 times less, and access to the league for 39.9 euros a month does not want to buy.
Recently, it turned out that some of the presidents of Ligue 1 clubs already discussed the offer together that this “does not make economic sense and does not stick to”. Some (including the president of Nantes Waldemar Kita) were bad as the president of PSG Nasser Al Khelaifi, who controlled everyone so that he would agree to offers from Dazn and Bein Sport. “We are heading towards mass suicide,” said the situation of Kita. Recording from this meeting that leaked to the media, We described in Sport.pl.
Kita described the situation quite bluntly. Dazn, after submitting the claim in February, did not pay the entire installment amount for the rights for a long time. He did it over time. LFP considered and continues to consider the completion of cooperation with this partner, which, according to its contract, in December 2025 can terminate it prematurely if he does not obtain 1.5 million subscribers.
A mediator has recently been involved in the agreement, who was to help both parties reach an agreement. LFP proposed Dazn a quick termination of the contract after this season in exchange for compensation in the amount of around EUR 110 million and the need to settle two payments for the lasting season. Dazn rejected this proposal. Add the money for LFP he had no intention. He has a different idea. According to RMC, Sport proposed renegotiation (reduction) of the applicable contract, while wanting to get the rights to all Ligue 1 matches (including this broadcast by Bein Sports), which is to make subscribers more willingly use Dazn services with 100 percent. Ligue 1 in one place. For now, the league does not agree and it is not known what to do next, because time for mediation has just ended.
There are several possible scenarios.
- Dazn will continue the contract, broadcast eight matches in the queue and conduct a legal dispute;
- Dazn will not pay the next payment for the rights by April 30 and will not transfer the last tranche by this season by 30 June. Then LFP may request a bank guarantees (this time was established). In the event of delays or lack of payment of the tranche by DAZN, the league will have to reach for the reserve fund so that the clubs can operate;
- LFP will want to terminate the contract with Dazn after the season and make a tender for rights again;
- After termination of the contract, LFP will create its own television channel, where it will show all matches.
This scenario is more and more real. The President of the League Vincent Labrune publicly announced that the time had come for the league to “go its own way”. If this had happened from next season, it would mean that Ligue 1 would be shown in the sixth sender in five years.