Rugby: Canal+ spends 700 million euros to afford the Top 14 and Pro D2 until 2032

The main broadcaster of rugby in France for almost 30 years, Canal+ has just further extended its history with the world of ovals by winning the exclusive rights to broadcast the French rugby union championship (Top 14) and its second division (Pro D2) until the 2031/2032 season.

434 matches per season

The announcement was made by the National Rugby League this Wednesday, and perpetuates the love affair between rugby and the encrypted channel, while the latter already held the rights until 2027.

Launched on April 2 by the LNR, the call for tenders won by Canal+ is therefore valid for all the lots (matches and magazines), and amount to 696.8 million euros for five seasons. In detail, this is equivalent to 139.4 million euros per season, or 128.7 million for each season of the Top 14 (13.3% increase) and 10.7 million per season of Pro D2 (+36 %).

This will allow Canal+ and its thematic channels to broadcast 434 matches per season, including the play-offs, semi-finals and final of the two championships, the Top 14 / Pro D2 accession match and that of Pro D2 / National, as well as “several weekly magazines”.

Maxime Saada, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Canal+ group, declared himself delighted with this new acquisition: “We are very proud to have won this new call for tenders (…). French rugby has always been one of the pillars of Canal+’s sports offering. Because it has always been there for us , we will always be there for French rugby. We have worked hand in hand with the National Rugby League since 1998 to promote this sport with strong values ​​and offer it the best exposure on our channels.

For its part, the National Rugby League was also satisfied with the extension of this partnership, as evidenced by its general director Emmanuel Eschalier: “The new increase in audiovisual rights resulting from this call for tenders will allow professional rugby to plan for the future with confidence and continue its development dynamic. Canal+’s offer also guarantees the LNR to have access to ‘optimal exposure of its championships including 3 matches and 2 magazines every weekend on the Canal+ channel.’

This news comes as Canal+ recently announced its intention not to renew its broadcast of French football, by not participating in the LFP call for tenders for the rights from 2024 to 2029. The encrypted channel remains a broadcaster history of the sport, and in particular the main broadcaster of Formula 1 and MotoGP in France.