France’s Ligue Nationale de Rugby has begun a search for head of broadcast rights and content.
Working alongside Thibaut Chatelard, the LNR’s commercial and marketing director, the successful candidate will work on the sale and development of broadcast rights in France and internationally.
The role also encompasses the management and supervision of contracts with rights-holding broadcasters, the preparation of invitation to tender documents and contributing to the production and distribution of broadcast content.
Desired qualifications specified by the LNR include around a decade of experience in the management, commercialisation, production and distribution of sports broadcasting content. Candidates must submit their applications by the end of February.
The LNR represents the top-tier Top 14 and second-tier Pro D2.
Broadcast rights to the Top 14 are held in France by pay-television broadcaster Canal Plus in a four-year deal from 2019-20 to 2022-23. The contract is worth €97m ($107.3m) per year.
Public broadcaster France Télévisions holds free-to-air rights to the Top 14 final, a match that must be shown free on French television due to listed events legislation.
Canal Plus also holds the Top 14 international distribution rights from 2019-20 to 2024-25. The deal also includes the Pro D2 international rights from 2020-21.
The pay-television broadcaster shares Pro D2 coverage with the Discovery-owned Eurosport and France Télévisions for five seasons from 2015-16 to 2019-20.
However, the Vivendi-owned broadcaster acquired the exclusive domestic rights to the property from 2020-21 to 2026-27 and has been in talks with Eurosport to sublicense some rights.