Maxime Saada, the president of Canal+, expressed his support for the distribution of the future Ligue 1+ channel starting next season, potentially paving the way for a closer relationship around the French championship.
To be continued. The president of the Canal+ group, Maxime Saada, reignited the debate around the broadcasting of the French championship by expressing his support for the distribution of Ligue 1+ from next season.
This statement comes as Canal+ continues to display strong audience performances, especially thanks to the Champions League, for which the channel holds the broadcasting rights. The group is preparing to broadcast the final of the competition on Saturday, May 30th between PSG and Arsenal.
Asked about the advantages of distribution via Canal+, media specialist Sacha Nokovitch from L’Équipe highlights several arguments. “Already for the consumer, and this is frankly the most important, it’s user-friendly. It’s about having everything in one place,” he emphasizes, noting that this logic is already a strong point for Canal+.
Canal+, a real asset
The group’s marketing power is also mentioned as an asset. The channel, accustomed to effectively promoting its sports content, could contribute to the launch and visibility of Ligue 1+. “We know that this is a defense of Canal. And this visibility, like the marketing power, we know that Canal knows how to sell a product, Ligue 1+ will need it, since in the next three months, the League channel doesn’t really offer much. There are some friendly matches, preliminary rounds of European Cup,” he explained.
Beyond visibility, the issue is also economic. According to estimates mentioned in the media debate, the platform currently has around one million subscribers. The goal is to reach at least two million subscribers. A partnership with Canal+ could also help restore a cooperative relationship between football stakeholders and the historical broadcaster of sports in France. It is worth noting that previous attempts at broadcasting without the support of the channel have not always been successful.
Last year, over 3.1 million viewers of the Champions League final between PSG and Inter followed the match on the group’s channels, confirming the appeal of top-level football for the French audience.
