The Paris Commercial Court was, this Friday morning, the theater of the first judicial round between Dazn and the Professional Football League (LFP). While the LFP claims the 35 million euros in the last deadline for TV rights placed under sequestration by Dazn, the British platform has chosen to counter-attack by assigning the League for non-compliance with the terms of the contract. A legal battle that promises to be fierce, and where each camp is ready to do anything to win.
An electric climate from the opening
The hearing, chaired by Patrick Sayer, quickly plunged into the heart of the matter, illustrating the extent of the gap between the two parties. Dazn, who admitted for the first time having 500,000 subscribers in France, justified the blocking of funds by insufficient measures taken by the LFP against hacking. Far from remaining silent, the league retaliated by affirming that all its contractual obligations were fulfilled and by denouncing the explosion of hacking since the arrival of Dazn and its offer at 40 euros per month, a much higher price than that of Amazon last season (14 euros via prime).
War open between Dazn and LFP.
Piracy: the major point of discord
Piracy has established itself as one of the most sensitive points of this audience. Dazn criticizes the LFP for not ensuring rigorous management of its distribution network, notably pointing to foreign flows accessible in France via beIN Sports. The league, for its part, stressed that it systematically asked international broadcasters to block French bank cards, a measure deemed insufficient by Dazn, which recalls that no diffuser could guarantee an obligation of result on this subject.
DAZN – LFP, a fracture now assumed
The muscular exchanges and mutual accusations have highlighted a reality: the rupture between Dazn and the LFP seems to be consumed. Dazn, which invests 400 million euros per season and more than 2 billion in the entire contract, defends its position by emphasizing the importance of exclusivity to maintain the value of the product. Faced with an uncompromising LFP, the conflict seems far from being resolved. One certainty: now, all blows are allowed.
