Mediapro’s new Téléfoot subscription service, which begins its live coverage in France tonight with the Ligue 1 clash between Bordeaux and Nantes, is available on Samsung’s smart TV sets after the agency and production group struck an agreement with the electronics giant.
The Téléfoot app is now automatically pre-loaded on Samsung smart TVs made in 2019 or 2020. Users with 2018 models can download the app from Samsung’s app store, while those with 2017 models will be able to do so “soon”, according to Samsung.
Customers can then sign in using an existing Téléfoot account or subscribe directly through the app.
The distribution agreement with Samsung follows on from a deal announced earlier this week allowing Apple to offer the app on its platform and devices, including Apple TV, iPhones and iPads. The Téléfoot app can also now be downloaded on Android devices.
Mediapro has already secured distribution agreements with French telcos Bouygues Telecom and Altice’s SFR to carry its new Téléfoot channels. The agency and Altice also agreed a co-broadcast deal for Uefa club competitions next season.
A deal with Free, another telecom, is said to be on the verge of being completed, although talks with Orange are reported to have been more complex while negotiations with pay-television operator Canal Plus are said to be at a standstill.
Earlier this month, Mediapro unveiled the subscription pricing details for Téléfoot, including a mobile pass for smartphone and tablet devices priced at €14.90 ($17.60) per month, with no long-term commitment.
The opening fixture to be shown on the service was due to be the Ligue 1 opener between Olympique de Marseille and Saint-Étienne but that fixture was called off after four members of OM staff tested positive for Covid-19. As a result, the Bordeaux-Nantes match was brought forward.
Mediapro has launched the subscription service in France on the back of its €780m- ($922m-) per-season contract for eight Ligue 1 rights packages from 2020-21 to 2023-24. It is aiming to attract 3.5 million subscribers.
Rights have also been secured to Ligue 2 over the same period, allowing the new Téléfoot service to show eight live Ligue 1 fixtures and eight live Ligue 2 fixtures per match week