France: Canal+ considers Ligue 1+ carriage
May 11, 2026
From Pascale Paoli-Lebailly in Paris
In an interview with sports daily L’Équipe, Saada left the door ajar amid persistent tensions between the pay-TV broadcaster, which lost Ligue 1 TV rights several years ago, and the French Professional football league LFP. The Ligue 1+ platform, hastily created by LFP to broadcast the championship, is currently not available in Canal+ packages due to the lack of a commercial agreement.
According to Saada, at the launch of Ligue 1+, former LFP Media CEO Nicolas de Tavernost asked Ligue 1+ to be included in Canal+ sport’s package, available to around 2 million subscribers, in exchange for a “well over €100 million” minimum guarantee. “I won’t do it,” he asserted.
Until now, and as a result of its partnership with beIN Sports, Canal+ Group could offer one Ligue 1 match per week. This arrangement will end at the conclusion on the current season following a legal dispute between the Qatari service and the LFP.
Next season, all nine Ligue 1 matches from each game-week will be available exclusively on Ligue 1+. The channel claims 1.1 million subscribers but only distributes €120 million among clubs, far from the almost €600 million that Canal+ paid annually a decade ago.
Saada described Ligue 1+ as “a launch success [and] an editorial success, but an economic failure”.
The platform’s monthly fee is currently €14.99 but is expected to rise to about €20.
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