Launched on August 15, the Ligue 1+ channel was to embody the audiovisual renewal of the French championship. But a few days before its launch, two key players in the media landscape refuse to reach out to it. No advertising on their antennas, no distribution via their services, and even locking of approached talents. What was to be a simple commercial rivalry is more and more like an organized front.
According to the team, Canal+ and BeIN Sports have so far refused to sell advertising spaces in Ligue 1+ for its launch campaign. A blow, while the LFP is counting on a strong dynamic of subscriptions within the first ten days to reach profitability. Worse, Canal+ would have closed the door to any distribution, including non -exclusive, despite the potential commissions mentioned by LFP Media for a million subscribers. On the side of the encrypted chain, we evoke too distant conditions, and especially an uncomfortable damage: that of the Amazon contract between 2021 and 2024, which had left Canal+ on the sidelines while maintaining its financial commitment.
Invisible maneuver: how to suffocate Ligue 1+
Far from being satisfied with a simple withdrawal, Canal+ has also blocked the departures of some of its emblematic faces, approached by the LFP. Samir Nasri, in particular, would have declined the Ligue 1+ offer to extend until 2029 with the encrypted chain. In the shadows, Bein Sports adopts an equally offensive posture: the Franco-Qatar group asked the LFP to review the alternation of PSG/OM posters in order to attract more subscribers via its own pack, already included in canal offers. Even more disturbing, the Bein subscription is now offered to certain customers until July 2026, a gesture interpreted as an attempt to suffocate the launch of Ligue 1+.
Maxime Saada has a strategy to deflate Canal+.
A response still possible for the LFP
Faced with this coordinated pressure, the LFP tries to react. By multiplying the agreements with ISPs, connected TV manufacturers or third -party platforms, the league hopes to bypass the canal/bein obstacle. Alternative campaigns, partnerships with influencers, even youth offers at a reduced price, are also under study. The tour of clubs and supporters could make it possible to recruit on the field. But the nerve of the war remains the timing: if the milestone of the million subscribers is slow, the league treasury could suffer. If the dynamics take, on the contrary, the snowball effect could redraw the French media landscape.
Calculated sabotage or classic trade war? For the moment, no actor officially recognizes him. But the positions are clear. August 15 will mark the real rocking point: either Ligue 1+ finds powerful relays with the public, or it crashes on the wall erected by its former allies. One thing is certain: the battle is just beginning.
