BeIN was also late with a Ligue 1 payment at the end of last season. (Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)

French soccer’s LFP league body has this week informed clubs that they will receive a reduced initial rights fee payment for the 2024-25 season as pay-TV broadcaster BeIN Sports is yet to pay its share.

The organization sent an email to the clubs on Wednesday (August 28) explaining that the figure will be 24% less than the expected amount.

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DAZN, the global streaming service that recently acquired the bulk of rights to the top-flight Ligue 1 with BeIN, has already paid its majority share.

This is not a new occurrence with BeIN as the Qatar-based operator was also late in paying a €38 million ($42.1 million) rights fee at the end of last season.

At that time, the broadcasting giant cited Ramadan as the reason for the delayed payment.

This season, BeIN holds rights to show one Ligue 1 match per week and the entirety of the second-tier Ligue 2. It will pay a total of €78.5 million per year for the top-flight and €40 million for the second division.

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With the drawn-out saga surrounding domestic TV rights, the news of BeIN’s delayed payment will come as another blow to French clubs struggling financially.

The five-season domestic rights deals with DAZN and BeIN were only put in place in late July, following a lengthy saga of multiple missed tender deadlines.

Over the last few weeks, the LFP has been frantically attempting to complete its broadcast rights jigsaw for the next cycle.

With a deal not forthcoming in the UK, the body recently launched a new Ligue 1 Pass streaming platform which will show every game.