Ligue 1 Targets Streaming Platforms In New Domestic Rights Tender

Ligue 1 opens tender for ambitious five-year TV rights deal

The LFP has opened bidding for Ligue 1's domestic rights from 2027 to 2032, targeting streaming giants with a single-lot offer and setting a December 3 deadline in a bid to secure long-term financial stability.

Ligue 1 launches tender for 'ambitious' five-year domestic TV rights deal...

The French Professional Football League (LFP) on Tuesday opened the bidding process for Ligue 1's domestic broadcast rights covering the 2027-2032 cycle, setting a December 3 deadline for offers as it looks to end years of uncertainty over its TV deal.

The tender follows a lengthy dispute over broadcasting rights that has hit clubs financially, after several previous rounds of negotiations failed to meet expectations.

Under the new tender, the LFP is putting all nine games from each matchday up for sale as a single package, using legislation that permits the league to market the rights as one block.

Bidders have two options: buy the complete broadcast rights outright, or take exclusive distribution rights for the league-owned Ligue 1+ channel.

Ligue 1+ was introduced by the league in 2025 after its agreement with DAZN ended and currently shows every top-flight game this season, with beIN Sports previously holding one match per round.

“If we ‌decided to test the market, it's because we believe the environment is more favourable than in 2023,” LFP president Vincent Labrune told reporters.

“We will try to find the best combination of value, exposure and accessibility for our product. We're approaching the process with relative serenity.”

The tender was originally earmarked for the 2029-2034 cycle, but the league moved the schedule forward after gauging interest from potential bidders.

“We realised that the interest was mainly in 2027-2032,” said LFP Media chief executive Olivier Bramly.

“The platforms told us that this was the right time to do it for 2027-2032.”

“Ambitious” Reserve Price

Each bid must include three elements: a financial offer, a qualitative proposal and a financial guarantee mechanism.

To be successful, the financial proposal must clear a confidential reserve price, with both the financial and qualitative components evaluated together.

“The reserve price needs to be significantly above Ligue 1+'s projected trajectory. It's ambitious, but not unrealistic,” Bramly said, adding that the figure was still being finalised.

“We have this comfort and this luxury because we have Ligue 1+, there's no emergency.”

If the tender does not succeed, the league said it will keep developing its own in-house platform.

The LFP said it has spoken to around 10 potential partners and is especially eager to bring streaming platforms on board, with Bramly noting that digital players are showing strong appetite for Ligue 1 rights.

La LFP lance son appel à candidatures pour les droits audiovisuels de la Ligue 1 pour la période 2027-2032. - La Ligue de Football Professionnel lance ce mardi 3 novembre un appel à candidatures portant sur les droits audiovisuels domestiques de l’intégralité des rencontres de Ligue 1 pour la période 2027/2028 – 2031/2032. - Les droits audiovisuels seront commercialisés sous la forme d’un lot unique, avec la faculté pour les acteurs de se positionner sur les droits de diffusion de l’ensemble des rencontres ou sur la distribution exclusive de Ligue 1+. - Cette consultation intervient alors que le marché a évolué favorablement, tant par la faculté de commercialiser un lot unique que par l’intérêt manifesté par plusieurs acteurs pour le produit. Elle doit désormais permettre d’identifier et de retenir le modèle de diffusion le plus vertueux au regard des ambitions stratégiques de la LFP. Le Conseil d’administration de la Ligue de Football Professionnel a validé ce jour le lancement d’un appel à candidatures portant sur les droits audiovisuels domestiques de l’intégralité des rencontres de Ligue 1 pour la période 2027/2028 – 2031/2032. Les droits audiovisuels seront commercialisés sous la forme d’un lot unique. Ce lot unique sera proposé sous deux configurations possibles : • Acquérir les droits de diffusion de l’ensemble des matches de Ligue 1 ; • Distribuer à titre exclusif le service Ligue 1+. À travers ces deux configurations, alors que le marché a émis des marques d’intérêt nouvelles pour le produit, la LFP commercialisera la Ligue 1 comme un actif stratégique global afin de permettre aux acteurs d’en optimiser toute sa valeur potentielle. En effet, la valeur de la compétition repose sur l’attractivité du championnat dans son ensemble. En proposant la distribution exclusive de Ligue 1+, la LFP a fait le choix de proposer au marché la possibilité de s’appuyer sur une marque au savoir-faire éditorial déjà démontré, pouvant représenter un actif structurant dans la stratégie de commercialisation des acteurs. Ligue 1+, après seulement une saison d’existence, constitue aujourd’hui un atout majeur pour la Ligue, maîtrisant ses capacités de production et détenant une base d’abonnés solide avec un potentiel de développement. La Ligue a désormais une liberté de choix pour définir le modèle de diffusion le plus vertueux pour les cinq saisons à venir.

— Ligue de Football Professionnel (@LFPfr) November 3, 2026

Recent agreements have highlighted the rising interest of streamers in live sport, including Disney+ picking up La Liga rights in France and Netflix securing rights for the 2030 World Cup in Spain and Andorra.

“American platforms are reaching a blit more maturity in their thinking about sports content than they were two or three years ago, and that's why we see the timing of this call for bids as much better,” Labrune said.

The result of the tender, which Bramly called “very important for French football,” is set to be announced on December 4th.