France

French digital-terrestrial sports channel L'Équipe has extended rights deals for motorsport’s FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC) motorcycle-racing series.

French pay-television broadcaster SFR Sport, a division of the Altice telco, is “unlikely” to bid for the next cycle of rights to Ligue 1, the top division of football in France, according to SFR Group chairman Alain Weill.

French media company Groupe AB has acquired rights to the Drone Racing League, with the competition set to host its first event in France in June.

The Ligue de Football Professionnel, which operates the French football league, has launched its sales process for the domestic rights covering Ligue 1, the top division in the country.

French business tycoon Vincent Bolloré, who last week stepped down as chairman of media giant Vivendi, has been charged amid an investigation by French authorities into claims his company helped two African politicians win elections in return for lucrative business contracts.

French billionaire Vincent Bolloré, who last week stepped down as chairman of media giant Vivendi, is being questioned by police as part of an investigation into allegedly corrupt business practices in Africa, it emerged today (Tuesday).

The Ligue de Football Professionnel, which operates the French football league, will launch a new domestic broadcast rights tender before the summer, according to multiple reports.

Yannick Bolloré will take over as the new chairman of French media company Vivendi after his father, Vincent Bolloré, announced he would step down from the position.

French media company AB Groupe has acquired rights to esports competition the Overwatch League.

Laurent-Eric Le Lay, director of sports for France Télévisions, has said the public-service broadcaster is open to sharing rights to the 2024 summer Olympic Games, which will be hosted in the French capital, Paris.

French pay-television broadcaster Canal Plus has agreed a content partnership with US satellite-television provider DirecTV that will grant the Top 14 domestic rugby union league exposure in the US.

French commercial broadcaster TF1 has renewed an agreement for Rugby World Cup rights ahead of next year’s edition of the national team tournament in Japan.

French free-to-air sports broadcaster L'Équipe has acquired rights to the International Ski Federation’s (FIS) Freestyle Skiing and Snowboard World Cups, the 2018 Ice Hockey World Championship and US wrestling organisation WWE.

French free-to-air sports broadcaster L'Équipe and sports broadcaster Eurosport have acquired rights to the 2018 Track Cycling World Championships.

Competition between sports-rights agencies has helped Spain’s LaLiga grow the value of its media rights in several new deals across Europe.

Rights for the World Rallycross Championship motor-racing series have been awarded in France in Finland.