M6 spared no expense in acquiring the rights to the 2026 World Cup and outdoing TF1.
Thunderclap in the French audiovisual landscape. Historical broadcaster of the World Cup since 1978, most often sharing matches with competing channels, TF1 had to give up acquiring the rights to the 2026 World Cup. The first channel did not fail to respond to the call for offers launched by FIFA, but refused to fall into bidding wars.
According to Le Parisien, the leaders of the front page would have offered some 75 million euros, more or less the same sum as in 2018 or 2022. If the reform of the World Cup which will come into force in 2026 is the The assurance of around forty additional matches during the competition, the time difference with the United States, Mexico and Canada, where the World Cup will take place, do not favor audience success. Enough to visibly curb the ardor of TF1.
A quarter of the group’s annual program spending
M6 did not have these hesitations. The sixth channel has indeed a high price to win the market, putting some 130 million euros on the table to make the decision. A sum which represents a quarter of the group’s annual program spending. And this despite the audience success that a World Cup guarantees, the event is not profitable for its broadcaster.
For some market experts, there is no doubt that M6 has already reached an agreement with a partner to amortize this investment. “There is undoubtedly a deal with another broadcaster, already signed or to come. The competition is a long time away,” thus underlined a competitor, who has difficulty seeing Nicolas de Tavernost “burning the fund” as he prepares to leave the group.
