Growing Challenges for Ligue 1+ in its Second Season
Ligue 1+ will face its biggest challenge yet in the upcoming season. The LFP channel has brought in a strong man from L’Equipe to finally boost its subscriptions.
In its first year of existence, Ligue 1+ had a mixed performance. The initial subscriptions were excellent, with a rapid increase in subscribers reaching over a million within the first few months. Additionally, the editorial and technical coverage was solid, allowing the channel to establish its presence. However, with the departure of Nicolas De Tavernost amidst a conflict with BeIN Sports and a stagnation at one million subscribers for several months, the remainder of the season is concerning.
This figure is far from sufficient to generate income for the clubs, and the future looks bleak. Indeed, BeIN Sports will be relinquishing their 9th Saturday afternoon match, along with the €80 million annual payment. Ligue 1+ will need to offset this loss by increasing subscription prices, risking the loss of customers who have already shown that they have limited funds for football.
The second season of Ligue 1+ will be crucial for its future, as if the financial gap is too significant, it may be time to revert to the traditional model based on offers, even if it is not always ideal. In an effort to reignite interest, Ligue 1+ has recently appointed Marc Las as the editorial director, as announced by the LFP platform. Marc Las previously served as the editorial director at L’Equipe for about ten years.
The goal will be to find ways to convince new subscribers to join while retaining those who have been with them since the first season. With all matches in its portfolio, Ligue 1+ will have a free hand, although it may not be easy given the caution of the market.
