Ligue 1 has opted to go down the direct-to-customer route in the UK and Ireland by launching its LIgue 1 Pass streaming platform in both countries.
The French top-flight maintained a long-term deal with TNT Sports as its media partner in the UK and Ireland, but this agreement was not renewed after the 2023/24 season concluded.
To secure continued exposure on the other side of the English Channel and Celtic Sea, Ligue 1’s media rights holder, LFP Media, has opted to ‘test out its streaming platform on the British market’, in the company’s words.
Ligue 1 Pass will include French top-flight matches, original content, and other functionalities, with a web version rolled out over the weekend (25-26 August) and an app launch slated from round three of the ongoing 2024/25 season. The platform will be supported by Endeavor Streaming, a subsidiary of UFC and WWE parent company Endeavor.
Maintaining a presence in the UK has been earmarked as an important objective due to the country’s ‘love for football as well as a mature OTT offering’. The fact there are over 140,000 French people living in the UK, the largest French expatriate community in the world, means there is also reasonable demand for Ligue 1 matches.
LFP Media states that it has engaged in constructive conversations with free and subscription-based broadcasters in the UK and Ireland to lay the foundations for launching its streaming platform. The group intends to work with the Franco-British Chamber of Commerce and Industry to promote Ligue 1 Pass to French commutes in the UK.
The development is indicative of two trends. Firstly, the growing role of OTT platforms in sports streaming. As noted by Ligue 1, the UK has a mature OTT sports market, with DAZN the most notable company involved in this.
The London-based platform recently stepped up its profile in English football significantly by securing the domestic rights to the Vanarama National League System (NLS). It is also a domestic partner of Ligue 1 in France, co-holding rights alongside beIN Sports.
Separately, Ligue 1’s UK and Ireland OTT launch shows the difficulty Ligue 1 has been having in securing broadcast partners of late.
The abovementioned deal with DAZN, for example, was a last-minute partnership announced shortly before the start of the new season. Ligue 1 Pass’ UK and Ireland launch suggests that the league may have been having trouble finding a traditional broadcast partner in these markets as well.
