Serie A is studying Ligue 1, which will broadcast matches on its channels.

No offer deemed worthy of the product? So Ligue 1 decided to go it alone. Starting this season, the French Football League (LFP) will broadcast eight live matches (plus one delayed match) on its own channel, called Ligue 1+ . The ninth match of the weekend will remain on beIN Sports until the 2028-29 season.

Therefore, matches will begin broadcasting starting August 15th (the date the French top division resumes). This decision doesn't completely exclude DAZN. The streaming platform has signed a non-exclusive agreement with the LFP to broadcast the league's new channel until 2029.

The subscription fee that French fans will have to pay to watch Ligue 1+ is just €14.99 per month, the lowest in French history for this type of service.

Several factors contributed to the launch of this channel. First and foremost, DAZN, which submitted a bid of €400 million for eight matches a week to the tender last summer, had included a clause in its agreement allowing it to terminate the contract if it failed to reach 1.5 million subscribers. When this target failed to materialize, the broadcaster invoked the opt-out clause.

All of this has obviously created a significant problem for a French league already stung by the lack of revenue promised at the time by the Sino-Iberian giant Mediapro (over a billion euros) and, also by virtue of this lack of funds, grappling with several tangled situations (not least that of John Textor's Olympique Lyonnais, recently readmitted on appeal to Ligue 1 after being relegated to the second division for administrative reasons).

Whether the creation of a Lega Nord channel represents a panacea for all ills remains to be seen. This is because forecasts speak of around €150 million in revenue this season, from which production costs will have to be subtracted . The ultimate goal of Nicolas de Tavernost (CEO of LFP Media), namely reaching over two million subscribers, is currently purely theoretical.

The whole affair could have repercussions on this side of the Alps as well, with our football league having been grappling with exorbitant cost increases for years and the desire to squeeze even more money from broadcasters . This is precisely why, even in our latitudes , the idea of ​​solving the problem was sought by promoting a League channel .

Even if this path were to be pursued (and not all presidents agree), it would be difficult to raise more than the €900 million per season (over five years) secured last year by DAZN and Sky under an agreement valid until the 2028-29 season. This is not only due to piracy (which Lega Serie A CEO Luigi De Siervo has repeatedly called into question), but also because, to surpass DAZN and Sky's revenues, it would be necessary to offer subscriptions at unfavorable prices, which would discourage potential subscribers.

So the most viable way to balance the books remains to cut costs (player salaries, commissions for agents) rather than to go looking for some television Eldorado.

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