Canal+ has secured a renewal of one of its biggest sports rights agreements, extending its long-running arrangement with the Top 14 rugby union tournament.
The deal with the National Rugby League will see Canal+ continue as the exclusive broadcaster of the Top 14 as well as the Pro D2, France’s second division, until the 2031/32 season.
Maxime Saada, Canal+ Group Chairman, said: “We are very proud to have won this new call for tenders which will allow us to offer our subscribers the Top 14, the most beautiful Rugby championship in the world, and the Pro D2 until the end of the 2031/32 season.
“French rugby has always been one of the pillars of Canal+ ‘s sports offering. Because it has always been there for us, we will always be there for French rugby, with the National Rugby League since 1998 to promote this sport with strong values and offer it the best exposure on our channels.
“We warmly thank the National Rugby League and its President René Bouscatel for the renewed confidence they have placed in us.”
The extension secures Canal+’s podium position in French sports broadcasting. The company holds the lion’s share of two of the country’s most popular sports dvisons, the LIgue 1 top-flight football league, and the Top 14.
In addition to domestic French tournaments, the company holds the rights to a plethora of other prominent international leagues, and not just ones in France.
The broadcaster’s roster includes Premier League, covering England’s top-flight in France and various other European markets, and domestic coverage of the Dutch Eredivisie in the Netherlands itself.
Thomas Sénécal, Canal+ Group Sports Director, added: “I am particularly happy that the historic partnership between Canal+ and the National Rugby League continues. In the Sports department, the teams work day after day to offer the Top 14 and the PRO D2 exceptional coverage.
“For the eight for the next few years at least, we can guarantee our subscribers premium programmes serving rugby: immersive and innovative broadcasts; creative and responsive digital content with the best reports and documentaries in the great tradition of Canal+; event days like Boxing Day.
“The history of the Top 14 will continue to be written on Canal+ with a common desire: to magnify the best rugby championship in the world.”
