The Ligue 1+ channel attracts more and more fans. In a statement, LFP Media, the commercial entity of the Professional Football League, announces that it has recruited 1.026 million subscribers since its launch a month ago. Another positive element, 72% of subscribers would have chosen the formula with commitment, synonymous with sustainable income for football clubs.
After the failure of DAZN, which had not exceeded 600,000 subscribers, LFP Media put the package on the backstage of the matches and their preparation. The watchword is to recreate a link between Ligue 1 and viewers, which have been upset in recent years by multiple broadcaster changes. "This different look makes it possible to follow Ligue 1 McDonald's like a real soap opera," reads the press release.
Hyperdistribution but without Channel
To aggregate the maximum number of subscribers, LFP Media chose during the summer to distribute its offer on as many platforms as possible (DAZN, Amazon or Molotov), but also connected TV manufacturers such as Samsung and LG, not to mention the four Internet service providers (Orange, SFR, Bouygues Telecom and Free).
A start that was welcomed by the entire sector, even though the channel is not distributed by Canal+, the historic broadcaster of French football, the French audiovisual group having failed to agree with the League. At issue: the dispute arising from the allocation of Ligue 1 rights following the Mediapro fiasco.
LFP Media then resold eight of the nine games to Amazon Prime for 250 million euros, while maintaining the contract with Canal+, at 332 million euros for two games. A dispute for which Canal+ hopes to obtain the settlement of about 600 million euros.
Clubs in financial difficulty
By creating its channel on a model without an exclusive distributor, LFP has chosen to no longer depend on a single broadcaster. On the other hand, with this model, the League waives sports rights paid - as in the past - by an exclusive broadcaster.
This is not without creating a stir within the clubs, deprived of a substantial income at the beginning of the season, when they are already in the grip of a fragile economic situation. Last season, all Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 clubs posted a cumulative deficit of 1.3 billion euros.
But Nicolas de Tavernost, CEO of LFP Media, assumes it: the first two years will be difficult for the clubs, before a gradual rise in Ligue 1+. In his projections, the former boss of M6 keeps his sights set on the goal of 2.4 million subscribers by 2029. A level that, if reached, could generate about 350 million euros per year.
Nevertheless, this amount will only be possible with increases in Ligue 1+ rates. Today, the chain is marketed at 14.99 euros per month for the formula with commitment, and 19.99 euros without commitment.
The OM-PSG clash in sight
In the shorter term, the League intends to capitalize on next Sunday's shock, between Olympique de Marseille and Paris Saint-Germain, to recruit new subscribers. Note that Sundays are the days when the recruitment of new subscribers is the strongest.
To increase its subscriber base, Ligue 1+ also intends to board some DAZN customers, whose annual subscription, contracted last year when the platform was an exclusive broadcaster of Ligue 1, expires this school year. Another acquisition lever, bundle offers between Ligue 1+ and other media that could see the light of day in the coming weeks.
