France

Pay-television broadcaster beIN Sports has extended a rights deal in France for the Super League, the top division of rugby league in England.

French commercial broadcasters TF1 and M6 have confirmed the acquisition of rights for France national football team matches over four years, from 2018-19 to 2021-22.

French pay-television broadcaster beIN Sports has renewed rights to LaLiga, the top division of football in Spain, according to French daily newspaper L’Équipe.

SFR is exploring possible carriage deals for its SFR Sport pay-television channel after rethinking its strategy, with chief executive Alain Weill confident of reaching agreements with operators ahead of the start of the 2018-19 football season.

The Ligue de Football Professionnel, which operates the French football league, has opted to again delay the tender process for its next set of media rights as it seeks to benefit from the growing status of its competitions, according to L'Équipe.

French telco Altice, which operates pay-television broadcaster SFR Sport, has revealed plans to split its European and US operations, as well as form a new pay-television unit which will include its major sports rights.

Pay-television broadcasters Canal Plus Afrique and Kwesé Sports have been awarded media rights to Ligue 1, the top division of French club football, in sub-Saharan Africa, TV Sports Markets understands.

Sports broadcaster Eurosport will showcase its OTT platform in France this weekend by exclusively streaming 15 matches from the Coupe de France club football competition.

French public-service broadcaster France Télévisions’ sports budget will be cut by between €10m ($11.9m) and €15m in 2018, according to the AFP news agency.

French commercial broadcaster M6 has acquired a package of rights for the national handball team, while digital-terrestrial television channel L’Équipe has agreed a deal for domestic club competition the Coupe de France.

L’Équipe, the French digital-terrestrial television channel, has acquired rights for football’s 2018 Uefa Futsal Championship.

The Ligue de Football Professionnel, which operates the French football league, has held talks with Facebook and Amazon over its next cycle of media rights, according to the organisation’s director general, Didier Quillot.

The Ski Classics series of long-distance skiing events has agreed new broadcast deals in France, the UK and the Middle East and North Africa region for the remainder of its 2017-18 season.

French commercial broadcaster TF1 has acquired rights to the 2019 Rugby World Cup after taking up an option in its deal for the 2015 tournament, TV Sports Markets understands.

France Télévisions could forgo rights to the country’s home Olympic Games in 2024 over costs, according to reports.

France’s football federation earned an increase of about 170 per cent in the value of its domestic women’s and youth football media rights last month.