“We played extra time and… the Champions League remains on Canal+ until 2031. 100% of European competitions. We renewed everything. Yes, everything. We don’t yet know who will win the Champions League , but we already know where we’ll be watching it .” It was around 7 p.m. when Maxime Saada, the head of Canal+, confirmed, not without joy, that his group had won the bid for the broadcasting rights of the Champions League, the Europa League, and the Conference League for the period 2027-2031.
Bad news for Ligue 1, which now knows it won't be a priority for Canal+ in terms of TV rights, but a huge relief for the pay-TV channel… and the French public. Indeed, many feared having to pay for multiple subscriptions to watch, in particular, the most prestigious of European cups. And for many, if Canal+ managed this feat, despite UEFA having opened the door wide to streaming platforms to make more money, it's because Saada's group wrote a very large check.
Crucial distribution contracts
In absolute terms, the sum Canal+ will pay UEFA until 2031 is enormous… but it's less than the amount of the current contract! Indeed, recent reports suggest an annual sum of €450 million (an amount denied by the pay-TV channel), while the channel currently pays €480 million per season. How is this possible when Paramount+ has made such a strong impact across Europe? The American group paid over a billion euros to beat TNT Sports and broadcast the majority of the Champions League in the UK. And that's not all, since Paramount+ did the same with DAZN in Germany. L'Équipe reports that the American group also tried its luck in France. Why did it fail against Canal+ ?
The newspaper explains that the distribution agreement between Paramount+ and Canal+ was the decisive factor. In short, if the American group had secured the rights, this agreement could have led to a renegotiation (perhaps at a lower price) of its distribution contract with the pay-TV channel. This is why Paramount+ didn't go all-in on France, as it did in England and Germany. The newspaper asserts that the situation is much the same with beIN SPORTS . The Qatari channel was interested in Lot B of the Champions League, but prioritized profitability by not overshadowing Canal+, which manages its distribution in exchange for €250 million annually.
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