Business of Sport Qatar’s beIN to pay €100m to broadcast French football games By Pramod Kumar July 16, 2024, 9:05 AM Ibrahim Ezzat/NurPhoto/Reuters Mbappe Kylian of Paris Saint-Germain plays during the French Cup Final match against Olympique Lyonnais OL. The new rights deal for French football attracted less money than anticipated Qatar broadcaster beIN has agreed to pay €100 million ($109 million) annually for the rights to broadcast one French Ligue 1 football match per week, according to a news report. The sports channel is paying a premium per game as its package includes the most sought-after fixtures, the Financial Times reported, citing informed sources. NewsletterGet the Best of AGBI delivered straight to your inbox every week DAZN, a UK broadcaster, will pay €400 million annually to broadcast most Ligue 1 matches. The broadcasting deal will span five years, although there is an ongoing discussion about a potential break clause after two or three years. The €500 million total is below the €1 billion expected by the football league and less than the €582 million from the previous agreement. Anyone for cricket? Saudi Arabia’s next big sports play Saudi football spending tipped to tumble as economy falters Qatar moves to meet growing tourism demand The new contract represents the lowest amount paid for the top tier of French football rights in two decades. While the French clubs considered launching their own TV channels, the move offered no guaranteed revenue and involved high setup costs for some clubs, the newspaper said.
