French telecommunications company Numericable-SFR has announced plans to launch a new sports channel, SFR Sport.
The news was mentioned in an email to confirm a price increase of €2 ($2.27) per month for subscribers from May 1.
Numericable’s owner, telco Altice, last November secured rights for football’s English Premier League covering three seasons, from 2016-17 to 2018-19. The deal included exclusive rights in France and Monaco and non-exclusive rights in Andorra, Luxembourg and Switzerland.
SFR Sport will also show English rugby, extreme sports, basketball – including the French top-tier Pro A – and other football competitions, according to the email from Numericable-SFR.
According to French daily newspaper l’Équipe, SFR Sport will exploit the rights currently shown by Altice’s basic-tier broadcaster Ma Chaîne Sport, apart from tennis coverage.