TV Rights: LFP Restarts Talks with Canal+ for Deal from 2029

The LFP is considering launching a tender for its television rights before the end of 2026, targeting the 2029-2034 period, as relations with Canal+ have quietly warmed after several years of rupture.

Driven by LFP Media, this ultra-early consultation responds to an economic urgency: the Ligue 1+ channel, set up as a stopgap solution after the failure of the previous model, is struggling to generate the revenue needed to maintain the competitiveness of French clubs against their European rivals. Club presidents, squeezed by the drastic fall in distributions, are awaiting a strong signal.

The real novelty lies in the thaw between Vincent Labrune, Olivier Bramly and Maxime Saada, the chairman of Canal+’s management board. After years of cold war stemming from the Mediapro imbroglio and the allocation of lots deemed overvalued, the three men have resumed dialogue behind the scenes. Saada himself no longer rules out a deal, provided the League’s financial expectations align with market reality.

To make the offer attractive — both to Canal+ and to potential tech players like Apple or Netflix — the LFP would be moving towards creating a single package grouping all matches. This approach aims to correct the mistake of fragmenting rights, which had discouraged several bidders in previous cycles and fragmented the subscriber experience.

Ligue 1+, although praised for the speed of its rollout, is perceived by many executives as a default solution rather than a sustainable model. Without a solvent traditional broadcaster, elite clubs see their capacity to recruit and invest erode season after season.

Canal+’s return to the table represents far more than a simple commercial rapprochement: for the LFP, regaining a prescriptive partner is the essential condition for stabilizing the championship’s finances. This tender is shaping up as a decisive deadline to restore Ligue 1’s value on the domestic market.