W9 brings Women’s Euro to French free-to-air television

French digital-terrestrial television broadcaster W9 has acquired rights for France national women’s team games at the Women’s Euro 2013 football tournament, according to French newspaper Le Parisien.

The free-to-air channel, a subsidiary of commercial broadcaster M6, will show all three France group matches against Russia on July 12, Spain on July 15 and England on July 18, as well as any games involving the team in the knockout stages.

The report said that the rights fee was about €800,000 ($1.04 million).

W9 acquired the rights in a deal with the CAA Eleven agency, which also received a bid from commercial broadcaster Direct 8.

Eurosport France, the French arm of the pan-European broadcaster, has live rights in France for all of the games at the tournament in Sweden.