France
Features
Europa League value falls in France in wake of Champions League frenzy
Uefa’s Europa League revenue in France will fall in the 2021-24 cycle given limited interest in the property in the wake of the fierce contest for rights to the top-tier Champions League.
TF1, M6 revert to pre-Euro 2016 per-match rights fee in French Euro 2020 deal
TF1 and M6’s joint acquisition of Euro 2020 free-to-air rights was struck at a similar per-match fee as the one they paid for the last comparable edition of the tournament, in 2012.
Mediapro ‘bias’ claims cast cloud over Champions League award in France
Mediapro’s accusation of impropriety in the Uefa Champions League tender process in France has cast a cloud over a record rights-fee outcome for Uefa in the country. But the agency’s threat to take Uefa to court may not be credible, industry experts told SportBusiness Media.
BCL basketball takes financial hit in France to retain exposure
The Basketball Champions League has suffered a setback in France despite retaining exposure in a two-season renewal of its deal with pay-television broadcaster Canal Plus, SportBusinessMedia understands.
Canal Plus set to recoup Tokyo 2020 outlay in France with Eurosport deal
French pay-television broadcaster Canal Plus is set to recoup its outlay on the Tokyo 2020 Olympic rights in a deal with Discovery-owned Eurosport, SportBusiness Media understands.
Canal Plus has clear run to NHL ice hockey renewal in France
French pay-television broadcaster Canal Plus faced little competition in renewing its NHL rights, SportBusiness Media understands.
UK, France may drive global Champions League revenue downturn
Uefa, European football’s governing body, could be on the verge of a sharp downturn in Champions League media-rights revenues for the 2021-24 cycle, with specific factors in the key UK and France markets exacerbating a broader price correction already anticipated for similar high-profile properties.
France Télévisions keeps outlay steady in Top 14 Final renewal
Public broadcaster France Télévisions renewed its free-to-air rights to the final of the country’s Top 14 rugby union club competition for the 2019-23 cycle at around the same level as its previous deal, SportBusiness Media understands.
French women’s top-tier handball carve-out may have damaged coverage prospects
The recent carve out of Ligue Féminine de Handball (LFH) rights from the wider package of French handball federation (FFHB) rights may have damaged the LFH’s prospects for coverage after beIN failed to renew their long-standing partnership.
Amazon pays premium in French Open domestic rights play
Internet giant Amazon will pay more than public-service broadcaster France Télévisions for a substantially smaller package of rights to the French Open’s 2021-23 cycle.
French Open tender gambit unlikely to boost FFT revenues
The French tennis federation’s (FFT) decision to hold its first tender in six years for domestic rights to the French Open is unlikely to significantly boost incomes or break the broadcasting duopoly of France Télévisions and Eurosport, according to industry experts spoken to by SportBusiness Media.
Canal EPL sublicence deal in France linked to Altice carriage agreement
Pay-television broadcaster Canal Plus’s surprise move to share all its English Premier League rights in France for the 2019-22 cycle with telco Altice was related to a carriage deal secured late last year with the company, SportBusiness Media understands. This deal enabled Canal’s platform to show RMC Sport channels, allowing it access to the Uefa Champions League.
France’s TF1 sought 40% of RWC outlay in failed sublicense push
French commercial broadcaster TF1 was expecting to recoup 40 per cent of its outlay on the 2019 Rugby World Cup from its ill-fated attempt to find a sublicensee, SportBusiness Media understands.
Government pressure drives France Télévisions’s Olympics sublicensing deal
The French government strongly encouraged public-service broadcaster France Télévisions to reach an Olympics sublicensing deal with US media group Discovery for the 2022 to 2024 cycle to ensure the widest access to the Paris 2024 games, SportBusiness Media understands.
French handball federation struggles to place national team domestic free-to-air rights
The Fédération Française de Handball is struggling to find a free-to-air partner for French national-team matches after carving these rights out of its new deal with beIN Sports, SportBusiness Media understands.
LNR shifts to minimum income model for French rugby Top 14 international rights
The Ligue Nationale de Rugby’s desire for greater revenues drove the shift to a minimum guarantee from a pure revenue share in its renewal of the Top 14 international rights distribution contract with Canal Plus.
L’Équipe TV among parties in talks with beIN over French Handball League free-to-air sublicensing rights
BeIN Media Group has told SportBusiness Media it is in talks with various parties for the domestic free-to-air rights for the Ligue Nationale de Handball competition from 2019 to 2023; one of these parties is understood to be French digital-terrestrial channel L’Équipe TV.
Impending carriage negotiations, rather than direct competition between operators, boosts Ligue 2
The increase of 190 per cent in the value of the rights to France’s second football division, Ligue 2, was unusual in that it was not driven by direct competition between players in the market.
Canal Plus hopes Premier League ‘message’ will keep subscribers on board ahead of key Ligue 1 talks
The English Premier League has benefited from a second successive strategic bid for its rights in France but that did not prevent a fall in their value
France market report, 2018
In the latest interactive monthly data report, SportBusiness Media analyses the media-rights landscape in France.
Eurosport’s hold on MotoGP rights across Europe weakens
Sports broadcaster Eurosport has had its grip on MotoGP rights across Europe weakened in recent times, despite its renewal of rights in the Netherlands.
Ligue 1 ‘happy but not surprised’ by 60% domestic fee increase
Ligue 1 sells domestic rights for €1.1
RDA targets Oceania after buying Super League international rights
The RDA agency will look to extract more value from Australia and New Zealand and strike deals in the Pacific Islands for the first time, after taking over international rights to the Super League.
Fiba sees potential to grow value of Basketball Champions League
Patrick Comninos, chief executive of the Basketball Champions League, spoke to media at the Fiba Final Four event last week about Greek basketball club Panathinaikos reported interest in joining the competition.