After Canal+ and beIN Sport, Free attacks the LFP: what you need to know

Free has been offering an application for quite some time now that allows everyone to view goals and short summaries of Ligue 1 matches for free. It acquired this lot as part of the call for tenders for TV rights for the 2020 period. -2024. But not everything is going very well between the broadcasters and the LFP. According to the teamthe operator has indeed summoned the organization before the Paris court on March 15.

Tension mounts between the LFP and the broadcasters

It thus follows in the footsteps of Canal+ and beIN Sports, which have chosen to do the same. If the procedures are distinct, the reason for the dissatisfaction seems however the same. Our colleagues indeed explain that there has been a price inequity since Amazon signed a contract with the LFP to broadcast Ligue 1, following the departure of Mediapro.

Thus, while the Spanish audiovisual group had undertaken to pay 800 million euros per year, the Tech giant only pays 250 million per season. Therefore, and observing this price reduction, Free no longer wishes to pay the 42 million euros per season established during the May 2018 call for tenders. The idea of ​​Xavier Niel’s company would be to obtain a downward price revision, similar to what was done for Amazon.

The sports newspaper also recalls that the atmosphere is not good between Free and the LFP. Moreover, the FAI has already complained of not being treated as a true partner by the League. For the time being, the company did not wish to comment, but there is no doubt that we should hear more about these differences between the LFP and the broadcasters in the months to come. But while waiting for justice to render its verdict, each of them must pay the sums due to the representatives of French football.