(Bloomberg) -- The majority of France’s elite professional football league voted for a broadcast deal with Len Blavatnik’s streaming group Dazn Group Ltd. and the Qatari sports broadcaster beIN to screen live matches of the new season.
Sixteen of the 18 clubs in the top league voted in favor of the broadcasting deal with Dazn and beIN, according to a press release by Ligue de Football Professionnel on Tuesday, confirming an earlier Bloomberg News report. The football governing body said there were “lengthy discussions” on Sunday on the broadcasting rights and the deal is still subject to certain clauses and adjustments.
“We must now look to the future and do everything possible to ensure the success of these agreements and, above all, that all fans can follow the championship in the best possible conditions,” the statement said. “Now is the time to calm things down, reassure those who have decided to buy our rights and encourage them to work out the best pricing structures available.”
The decision to team up with Dazn and beIN comes after months of talks between Ligue 1 and various parties and puts an end for the time being to talk of the league creating its own channel. The deal for the domestic broadcast rights should bring in an average of about €500 million ($545 million) in annual revenue, falling short of an original target, people familiar with the matter said, asking not to be identified as the information is private.
Representatives for Bein and Dazn declined to comment, while a representative for LFP didn’t respond to requests for comment on the price.
Separately, an audit into the expenses of the LFP and its media rights company have started to check whether the expenses “commensurate with the investments made,” the football governing body said in the same statement without providing more details.
--With assistance from Valentine Baldassari.
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