The Ligue de Football Professionnel, the French football league, has entered into an exclusive negotiating period with Qatar-based pay-television broadcaster Al Jazeera for live Ligue 1 rights, eliminating French pay-television operator Canal Plus from the bidding.
The league has set a deadline of January 31 for the conclusion of a deal with Al Jazeera for the rights to six live matches per week for four years, from 2012-13 to 2015-16.
According to l’Equipe, Al Jazeera made an offer of €240 million ($305 million) over four years for the rights, which is still some way below the league’s original target of €90 million per season.
The rejected offer from Canal Plus involved a revenue-sharing agreement, with no minimum guarantee, and required the league to cover production costs. Canal Plus had estimated that its offer would generate €60 million ($76m) per season but failed to convince the league of its case.