The L’Équipe channel will broadcast the 2024 edition of the Dakar Rally (formerly Paris Dakar), it announced on Wednesday after the withdrawal of the historic broadcaster, the public group France Télévisions.
The Team is part of the Amaury group, just like ASO, the organizer of the Dakar, the 2024 edition of which will take place in Saudi Arabia between Al-Ula and Yanbu, on the shores of the Red Sea.
From January 5 to 19, the L’Équipe channel will shake up its schedule to devote nearly four hours of air time per day to the 46th edition of this rally-raid, well known to the general public. It was created in 1978 by Thierry Sabine, who lost his life there at the same time as singer Daniel Balavoine in 1986 in a helicopter accident.
From noon to 2 p.m., a “big live broadcast”, presented by Messaoud Benterki, will follow the arrival of the special stages. At 6:20 p.m., a “Dakar newspaper” will cover the day’s stage in 5 to 10 minutes. It will be followed by a “grand summary” from 8 to 9 p.m.
Finally, a rebroadcast of the previous day’s race will be scheduled every day from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
In September, France Télévisions announced that it would drastically reduce its daily coverage of the Dakar in 2024, by limiting it to a single event, in “Tout le sport” each day at 8 p.m. on France 3.
The L’Équipe channel “is thus continuing its strategy of broadcasting legendary automobile races, such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in the clear,” it underlined in a press release.
Around ten people will be mobilized on site, including four special envoys who will collect the first reactions to the bivouacs and arrivals, she said.
Live broadcasts and replays will be available on the L’Équipe website and application.
In a very competitive sports rights landscape dominated by football, the L’Équipe channel has positioned itself in recent years on less expensive sports. This niche strategy has been successful for biathlon, which achieves good audiences there.