MP & Silva lands French football league rights in Europe

The MP & Silva agency acquired the media rights in Europe to the top French football league, Ligue 1, in a deal with global rights-holder Al Jazeera, the Qatari satellite broadcaster. The deal is for three seasons, from 2012-13 to 2014-15.

The agency also acquired the league’s international betting rights for six years, from 2012-13.

Last year, MP & Silva acquired the league’s rights in Asia for six years, from 2012-13 to 2017-18, in a deal with Al Jazeera. The agency had agreed in principle the European deal at the same time, but contract negotiations were delayed so that all parties could examine October’s ruling in the European Court of Justice in the English Premier League’s copyright case against UK publican Karen Murphy.

Redha Chibani, head of international development of the league, said: “The turnover generated from Ligue 1 international sales has been multiplied by almost four in last five seasons. With the best quality production in Europe, with brand new stadia (at least 10 before 2015) and the arrival of international investors in our clubs, we can be very ambitious. The international coverage of Ligue 1 in the world is growing ever faster than we thought. We are confident in the future.”

In May 2011, Al Jazeera Sports acquired all of the league’s media rights outside France in a six-year deal, from 2012-13 to 2017-18.