As French football navigates the aftermath of the unsuccessful broadcast agreement with British company DAZN, the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) has decided to proceed with its strategy to establish its own channel for the 2025-2026 season. According to a report from L’Équipe, a tender process commenced on Monday to find a producer for the new in-house broadcaster, which is scheduled to debut on August 15, coinciding with the opening day of the new campaign.
With no domestic broadcaster secured for the upcoming season, the LFP is implementing a contingency plan: managing its own channel. Nevertheless, the league remains open to potential collaborations with established media companies such as Canal+, beIN Sports, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, or even DAZN itself. However, any such partnership would require a deal that guarantees minimum revenue.
DAZN, the broadcaster for the current season, reached an agreement with the LFP last month to terminate their Ligue 1 contract. Their previous deal involved broadcasting eight out of the nine Ligue 1 matches for an annual fee of €375m.
Reflecting on their situation at the end of April, DAZN commented, “Coming to France, losing money and then stopping after one year doesn’t make much sense. We are convinced that in the context of the Ligue 1 channel project, we can bring a lot of added value.” Should DAZN partner with the LFP’s channel, the league would waive the €100m fee owed by DAZN for breaking the contract.
