The alliance between Canal + and BeIN Sports has taken a lead in the wing: the Qatari channel appealed Thursday, July 15 to Canal + before the commercial court of Nanterre to force it to pay 332 million euros for the two matches per day Ligue 1 (L1) to which the channel is bound, according to a source close to the negotiations, thus opening a new legal front in the case of television rights.
Since mid-June and the allocation by the Professional Football League (LFP) of 80% of L1 matches to the American giant Amazon Prime, Canal + has not taken off. The encrypted channel finds itself having to pay 332 million euros for two matches per day of L1 (those of Saturday evening and Sunday at 5 p.m.), while Amazon will broadcast eight matches per day for 259 million euros. . “An economic distortion that cannot suit anyone. The LFP knows it, the broadcasters know it “, provides a source close to the two broadcasters.
Canal + had nevertheless done everything to avoid finding itself in this situation by referring the matter to the commercial court and the Competition Authority, so that the lot comprising the two matches (lot 3) is put back into play when the appeal is called. mid-June offers, following the failure of the former broadcaster, Mediapro. But she had been rejected twice.
“A dangerous tango”
A few hours after the attribution of the matches by the LFP to Amazon, Canal + had announced with a crash its desire to withdraw from the L1. Except that Canal + is linked with BeIN Sports, which sublicensed it in 2018 for the two matches it broadcasts. And it is BeIN Sports which directly pays the LFP. “Since mid-June, it’s a dangerous tango between BeIN and Canal, or a three-way game with the very fluctuating LFP”, summarizes a market expert who wishes to remain anonymous.
On Tuesday, the Vivendi group channel sent a letter to BeIN Sports, explaining that it wanted to suspend its contract with the Qatari channel – an option that obviously does not suit the ally, since 2018, of Canal +. But the encrypted channel was not satisfied with this letter, since it did not honor the first draft of the contract with BeIN Sports, which amounts to nearly 500,000 euros. “It’s marginal compared to the contract, but it’s a first failure”, the source said.
“It’s a complicated situation for Canal, who is at war with the LFP, but who by refusing to pay puts his partner in an awkward position”, summarizes a source close to sports authorities. Still, this first breach of the contract will have pushed the Qatari channel to react.
Joined by AFP, neither Canal + nor BeIN Sports wished to comment. On August 5, Canal + is supposed to make a second payment of several tens of millions of euros to BeIN Sports, so that the Qatari channel then pays the LFP. The courts should therefore give guidance on what could happen when the championship resumes, which is due to take place on August 6.