Advanced Television

Ligue 1+ “on track, but must do more”

February 25, 2026

The French professional football league’s (LFP) broadcasting platform Ligue 1+ has claimed 1.1 million subscribers, with 80 per cent of them having a paid commitment. The platform is “right on track” with objectives outlined when it launched in summer 2025, according to outgoing LFP Media CEO Nicolas de Tavernost in a media briefing in Paris. The executive, and M6 former CEO, is set to resign at the end of the season.

However, the streaming service’s plans are “not enough to ensure the club’s resources,” de Tavernost warned, outlining a target of “one additional million subscribers” by the end of the 2028-2029 season.

Ligue 1+ suffered a recent setback when FIFA awarded the rights to the 2026 World Cup to beIN Sports, prompting De Tavernost to hand in his resignation.

“We can only succeed if we have shareholders and a league that are united. No one can tell me there was a more attractive alternative,” he asserted. If the LFP “remains open to talks with all distributors, Ligue 1+ must continue its efforts”, he added, highlighting the lack of any other obvious solution at this stage.

Last week, Nice football club president Jean-Pierre Rivière described the launch of the platform as “a strategic mistake”.

For the 2026/27 season, the service will stream all nine Ligue 1 matches per matchday. The platform will consequently raise its current €14.99 monthly price to compensate for the loss of revenue from beIN Sports after Ligue 1+ acquired its Ligue 1 Saturday 5pm fixture.

The platform is also bidding to broadcast the future Ligue 3, which is set to replace the National League in France this year.

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