A hard blow for sports fans, this channel could disappear from the Canal+ offering in the coming weeks.
The battle for TV rights is starting to cost viewers dearly in time, energy and above all money. The latter is often penalized, because he constantly has to change his subscription and, most of the time, pay more to watch his favorite programs on television.
A new blow could also hit sports fans very soon. ATP tennis tournaments, alpine skiing and winter sports seasons, cycling races, summer and winter Olympics… So many events which will no longer be accessible to many viewers as before. From November 14, the Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2 channels will no longer be accessible directly from Canal+ subscriptions or the myCANAL platform. This is the end of a long story between Canal+ and Eurosport who have worked together for many years.
Why would Eurosport, popular with subscribers, no longer be broadcast by Canal+? Warner Bros Discovery, owner of Eurosport, is now seeking to develop its own platform, Max, which arrived in France this year. Existing partnerships, such as that with Canal+, are therefore reviewed.
Will Canal + subscribers be completely deprived of Eurosport in a few days? Fans can rest assured, Max and Canal+ have every interest in collaborating. Canal+ would retain a sports channel well known to its historical subscribers and Max would reach a wider audience, necessary for its development.
Currently, Max is already integrated into certain Canal+ offers, such as the Ciné-Séries pack. For others, Max is available as an option, with integration with myCANAL. A “Sport” option at €5/month is also offered to customers of the Max platform, excluding Canal+. To access it, customers must have a connected TV and go to the Max app. During the Paris 2024 Olympics, Eurosport broadcast the entire event via Max. The “Sport” pack was then offered to subscribers. This period is over and you will now have to pay!
How much ? The final amount for the viewer will depend on negotiations. These are already in progress. “Our discussions with Canal + are continuing to find an agreement by November 14 so that their subscribers continue to receive premium Eurosport sports channels included in their subscriptions,” confirmed the Warner Bros. Discovery group to Allopackage.
Maxime Saada, boss of Canal+, generally communicates on agreements a few days before the deadline. Two hypotheses seem credible to us: the “Sport” option at €5/month could be offered quickly in the offers giving access to Max, or even integrated into the Canal+ Sport bouquet. Instead of accessing the Eurosport channel via Canal+, the subscriber should simply connect to the Max application, included in their subscription. With a supplement? Very likely… With DAZN, Canal +, Eurosport or BeIn Sports, sports fans are unfortunately used to it.