LFP offers all Ligue 1 matches in broadcast tender
French football’s LFP is offering all Ligue 1 matches in a single five-season package, inviting bidders to acquire the rights outright or become exclusive distributor of its Ligue 1+ streaming service.
The Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) has opened a domestic rights tender covering every Ligue 1 match from 2027/28 to 2031/32, testing broadcaster interest while retaining its own streaming platform as an alternative.Bidders have until December 3 to choose between acquiring the full audiovisual rights and securing exclusive distribution of Ligue 1+, with an outcome expected on December 4.LFP president Vincent Labrune said: “If we decided to test the market, it’s because we believe the environment is more favourable than in 2023. 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 brings all nine matches from each round into one package, using legislation that allows the league to sell the competition as a single lot.That gives potential partners access to the entire schedule, while the distribution option offers an established channel, production operation and subscriber base rather than requiring a broadcaster to build its coverage from scratch.LFP Media launched Ligue 1+ in August 2025 after the league’s agreement with DAZN ended. The service now carries every league match, following a period in which beIN Sports retained one fixture per round.The league had initially considered a tender for 2029–34 but brought the process forward after discussions with potential bidders.LFP Media chief executive Olivier Bramly said: “We realised that the interest was mainly in 2027–2032. The platforms told us that this was the right time to do it for 2027–2032.”Offers must include financial and qualitative proposals alongside a mechanism guaranteeing payment, with bids assessed on both commercial returns and the planned delivery of coverage.A successful financial offer must exceed a confidential reserve price, which the league intends to set above the returns it expects from continuing to operate Ligue 1+ itself.Bramly explained: “The reserve price needs to be significantly above Ligue 1+’s projected trajectory. It’s ambitious, but not unrealistic.“We have this comfort and this luxury because we have Ligue 1+, there’s no emergency.”If the tender does not produce an acceptable agreement, the LFP plans to continue developing its platform, giving it an alternative to accepting a lower-value external deal.The process follows years of broadcast uncertainty that have squeezed French clubs’ revenues, increasing the importance of securing dependable income as well as wider exposure.The LFP has held discussions with approximately 10 potential partners and is particularly interested in attracting streaming companies.Labrune said: “American platforms are reaching a bit 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.”