Bramly chosen to lead LFP Media recovery

Olivier Bramly has been selected as the next chief executive of LFP Media, placing an experienced broadcast and streaming executive in charge of rebuilding the commercial model underpinning French professional football.His appointment must still be finalised, with Bramly expected to take up the position shortly after completing contractual arrangements.Bramly will succeed Nicolas de Tavernost, who resigned in February following a brief period leading the Ligue de Football Professionnel’s commercial subsidiary.The selection was reportedly approved unanimously by a panel including LFP president Vincent Labrune, representatives of CVC Capital Partners and senior club executives from Lille, Strasbourg and Nantes.LFP Media is responsible for exploiting the commercial and audiovisual rights of Ligue 1 and Ligue 2. CVC invested €1.5bn in the business in return for a 13% stake.Bramly joins at a critical point after the collapse of the league’s previous domestic broadcast structure and the subsequent launch of Ligue 1+, its direct-to-consumer streaming service.The platform has become the principal domestic home of Ligue 1 and is central to the league’s attempt to rebuild revenue after ending its agreement with DAZN early.Ligue 1+ has delivered subscriber growth, but the income generated remains below the level required to restore the distributions French clubs previously expected from traditional rights agreements.Bramly’s immediate priorities will include increasing subscriptions, reducing customer churn and expanding distribution through telecoms operators, connected television platforms and other aggregators.He will also need to establish whether Ligue 1+ should remain primarily a direct-to-consumer product or develop into a hybrid model combining league ownership with wholesale distribution and external broadcasting partnerships.The platform’s international role is also expanding, with LFP Media controlling Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 rights across global markets where conventional broadcast agreements have not been secured.That creates opportunities to reach overseas supporters directly, but international expansion requires localisation, marketing investment and reliable payment and distribution infrastructure.Bramly has spent more than 20 years across media rights, pay television and streaming.He held several senior positions during almost 16 years at Eurosport, working across distribution and international operations before joining Fox International Channels.He later led Fox’s activities across France and other French-speaking territories before holding executive roles at Disney following its acquisition of Fox’s entertainment assets.Bramly most recently worked for telecommunications group e&, where he led media and entertainment activities including E-Vision and supported the development of streaming and content aggregation across the Middle East and North Africa.That background gives him experience on both sides of the rights market, including negotiating content acquisitions, distributing subscription services and building direct digital products.LFP Media needs those capabilities after repeated disruption to French football’s broadcast income.The failed Mediapro agreement, difficult domestic tender and early termination of the DAZN contract have reduced confidence among clubs and exposed the risks of relying on ambitious rights valuations.French teams have responded by reducing costs, selling players and seeking new commercial income, but many remain heavily dependent on central distributions.Bramly will need to present clubs with a credible revenue path while resisting pressure to prioritise short-term payments over the long-term sustainability of Ligue 1+.He must also manage the interests of CVC, which expects a return from its investment, and clubs whose immediate funding needs may conflict with continued spending on the platform.Improving the product will require investment in production, programming, technology and customer service while revenues remain under pressure.LFP Media will also need to strengthen anti-piracy measures and ensure Ligue 1+ offers sufficient value to persuade supporters to pay rather than use unauthorised streams.Bramly’s appointment gives the league an executive with direct experience of streaming transformation, international distribution and telecom partnerships.His performance will be measured by whether Ligue 1+ can move beyond an emergency response to the broadcast crisis and become a sustainable media business capable of restoring predictable income to French clubs.