Mediapro, the production group and media-rights agency, has picked up the two remaining rights packages to France’s Ligue 1 from 2020-21 to 2023-24.
Having already won the bulk of the live rights during the sales process run by the French Football League (LFP) in May 2018, Mediapro was today awarded ‘Lot 5’ and ‘Lot 7’ as it continues to bolster its offering in France.
In landing Lot 5, Mediapro will be able show simultaneous ‘multiplex’ coverage of all matches during the 19th, 37th and 38th rounds of the championship, plus the relegation playoffs and the curtain-raising Trophée des Champions match.
Lot 7 comprises the Ligue 1 magazine programmes that can be aired from Monday to Thursday.
Following direct negotiations, the two packages have been sold to Mediapro for a total of €19m ($21m) per season, reports L’Équipe.
During the initial rights auction, the Lot 5 and Lot 7 reserve prices of €15m and €8m (per season), respectively, were not met by bidders.
Mediapro is launching subscription channels in France on the back of its €780m-per-season investment in the live rights for eight Ligue 1 matches per matchweek, along with various highlights and magazine show rights. Rights to Ligue 2 have also been secured over the same period after Mediapro and pay-TV broadcaster beIN Sports emerged victories in an auction process that delivered €64m per season in rights fees.
Live rights to the Ligue 1 matches held by beIN for the new cycle are set to change hands following a recent accord with pay-TV broadcaster Canal Plus.
The Vivendi-owned broadcaster has agreed to sublicense from beIN the rights to Lot 3, the package that includes 28 first-choice, 10 third-choice and 38 fourth-choice games. Of the 76 matches (per season) included in the agreement, 57 would be held exclusively by Canal Plus but 19 also broadcast by Mediapro.
During the initial sales process, beIN picked up a package of Ligue 1 rights that includes two fixtures per match week, namely the matches at 9pm on Saturday and 5pm on Sunday. That package, which also included a Saturday evening magazine programme, cost beIN €320m per season.
The addition of the final Ligue 1 rights packages comes in the same week that Mediapro picked up rights in France to 266 matches per season from the Uefa Europa League and new Europa Conference League across the 2021-24 cycle.