Band lands Ligue 1 deal in Brazil, retains Olympic Games rights

Brazilian broadcaster Rede Bandeirantes (Band) has agreed a sublicensing deal with OTT streaming service DAZN for rights to Ligue 1, the top division of French club football, while it will reportedly also continue its coverage of the Olympic Games.

The deal with rights-holder DAZN covers the 2019-20 Ligue 1 season, guaranteeing Band at least one match per round.

The agreement comes after Band last month struck a sublicensing deal with DAZN for rights to Campeonato Brasileiro Série C, the third tier of domestic club football.

Meanwhile, the Máquina do Esporte website has reported that Band has retained Olympic Games pay-television rights for its Bandsports channel for next year’s event in Tokyo.

Bandsports is said to have sublicensed the rights from SporTV, the pay-television channel operated by Globo.

Globo holds rights to the Olympic Games in Brazil through to 2032, under a deal struck in December 2015. The contract began with the 2018 winter Games in PyeongChang and covers all platforms, including free-to-air television on a non-exclusive basis, pay-television, internet and mobile on an exclusive basis.

Since Bandsports was launched in 2002 it has always broadcast the Olympics, with Tokyo 2020 marking its fifth Games.