The question of TV rights in Ligue 1 remains a thorny issue. In a long exclusive interview given to Le Figaro, Maxime Saada, the chairman of the board of Canal, spoke at length. He notably affirmed that the encrypted channel did not participate in the call for tenders for the period 2024-2029. “In Ligue 1, there is a rumor every day. One thing is certain, this one is completely wrong. We did not participate in the call for tenders. We do not participate in over-the-counter discussions. We do not have an agreement with DAZN or beIN on the continuation. When the process of selling the league rights is finalized, we will notify.
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Maxime Saada also remained firm and did not wish to “buy Ligue 1 from the scrapheap”. “That would be good neither for the competition nor for the clubs,” he expresses. “In 2018, when the football championship was awarded to Mediapro, we initiated a strategy of diversifying our content, in order to no longer find ourselves in a situation of dependence. We have regained a number of rights, such as the English Premier League and the Champions League. We have invested in MotoGP, renewed Formula 1, golf and once again signed the Top 14. And to conclude: “I want to be very clear on this point: Canal will not be the gravedigger of French football.”