After weeks of negotiations, it is finally the DAZN and beIN Sports platforms that will have the honor of broadcasting the Ligue 1 championships. A change that should have an impact on the supporters’ wallets…
With Ligue 1 set to return a few weeks away, broadcasting football matches is becoming a major selling point for attracting new customers. And now, after a battle that lasted several months, we finally know who the official broadcasters will be! Until now, you had to be an Amazon Prime member – a loyalty program that currently costs €6.99 per month or €69.90 per year – and pay an extra €14.99 per month or €99 per year. But Jeff Bezos’ company has lost the rights. On July 14, the Ligue de football professionnel (LFP) finally designated DAZN – which means “the zone”, pronounced “deux zones” in French – and beIN Sports to be the future broadcasters of football in France, as reported by The TeamThe first, often compared to the “Netflix of sports”, will broadcast eight of the nine Ligue 1 matches, while the second will handle the broadcasting of one match per matchday of the championship. A deal that is close to 500 million euros per season – 400 million for DAZN and 100 million for beIN Sports.
DAZN: the Netflix of sport welcomes the broadcast of Ligue 1
In France, DAZN will broadcast Ligue 1 from August 2024 until the end of the 2029 season. Although little-known in France, the service is already making its mark in the world of sport! Initially launched in England, Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Japan in 2016, it broadcast matches of more or less popular sports. It then arrived in Canada in 2017, then in the United States in 2018. In 2020, DAZN clearly showed its intention to establish itself as the Netflix of sport and arrived in France. This is how DAZN began to broadcast martial arts and women’s football competitions in France for €14.99 per month. For the moment, its French catalogue is still meager, with MMA fights, the Belgian championship and the French basketball championship.
The platform can be accessed via the website or through the official app, available on iOS, iPadOS, Android, tvOS, Android TV, PlayStation and Xbox, as well as connected TVs from many brands. In addition, DAZN has reached an agreement with Bouygues Telecom, SFR, Orange and Free for the operators to market its sports package. The question now is: how much will the subscription cost to enjoy all the Ligue 1 matches?
Ligue 1: what are the prices to be able to attend matches?
Today, DAZN costs €14.99 per month or €109.99 per year. The platform also offers separate packages, such as the NFL Game Pass, for €149 per year. But it is quite possible that, with the addition of Ligue 1, the subscription price will increase or that a separate package will be set up, as was the case with Amazon. RMC Sport mentions a price of around €30 to €40 per month, based on the offers in other countries. Indeed, in Germany, DAZN offers the Bundesliga and the Champions League for €44.99 per month or €359 per year. In Spain, you have to pay €39.99 per month or €239 per year to enjoy LaLiga and the Premier League. A price significantly higher than the one offered by Amazon, so…
For its part, beIN Sports is already well established in France and offers the entirety of Ligue 2, as well as many European competitions such as La Liga, Serie A, the Bundesliga and, more recently, Euro 2024. It will cost €14.99 per month without commitment to enjoy the match broadcast on the Qatari service. Prices should not increase with the addition of Ligue 1. However, football fans will certainly have to accumulate subscriptions to be sure to see all of their favorite team’s matches…