French pay-television broadcaster Canal Plus was reported by Le Parisien to be considering a higher-than-expected bid for the remaining French Ligue 1 football rights after submitting an unsuccessful bid of €40m ($53m) per year for domestic rights for the Uefa Champions League from 2012-15.
Canal Plus’s Champions League bid was €21m per year below the winning bid from Qatar-based pay-television broadcast rival Al Jazeera, but higher than the €31m per year Canal Plus pays in its existing deal for the tournament.
Le Parisien, citing sources, said the loss of the Champions League rights could precipitate a new, higher offer for the remaining Ligue 1 broadcast packages. La Tribune said that Canal Plus has so far proposed a revenue-sharing arrangement for the outstanding Ligue 1 rights, with the league covering production costs. However, the league is uncertain the arrangement could generate €60m per season, the figure that is estimated by Canal Plus.
The remaining Ligue 1 rights comprise six live matches per week across three packages. La Tribune also reported that Canal Plus was likely to lose rights for Spanish Liga football to Al Jazeera.