Even if Canal+ has announced its intention not to participate in the call for tenders for TV rights to Ligue 1 for the period 2024-2029, a turnaround in the situation cannot be ruled out, suggests Michel Denisot.
The bad news came in recent days. As expected, Canal+ announced to the LFP its intention not to participate in the next call for tenders for Ligue 1 TV rights, concerning the period 2024-2029. Director of the channel, Maxime Saada explained his decision to Vincent Labrune, the president of the League, highlighting relations which have deteriorated between the two parties in recent years, notably with the Mediapro and Amazon episodes.
A “not finished” story between Canal and Ligue 1?
Between the French championship and its historic broadcaster, this would therefore be the end of a story that began in 1984. Well, perhaps not… Former sports director of Canal+, and former deputy general director of the channel, Michel Denisot suggested that a new twist was possible, with a well-chosen comparison. “The story between Canal+ and the LFP is a bit like PSG and Kylian Mbappé. Not finished…”, wrote Michel Denisot on the social network
The story between @canalplus And @LFPfr it’s a bit like @PSG_inside And @KMbappe . Not finished…
— Michel Denisot (@michel_denisot) September 26, 2023
What could happen? L’Equipe raises in its article this Tuesday the possibility that the reserve price set by the LFP for Lot 1 (the three best posters), namely 530 million euros per year, will not be reached. In this case, the League could enter into over-the-counter negotiations with one or more broadcasters. And Canal+ could come back into the game at that point, and win with an amount that would suit it better…
