Canal Plus and BeIN Sports renew distribution partnership

Canal Plus will continue to distribute BeIN Sports content, such as French soccer's Ligue 1, to its subscribers.

Alex Donaldson August 13 2024

Canal Plus, the Vivendi-owned French media giant, has announced the renewal of its exclusive distribution agreement with French-Qatari broadcaster BeIN for the continued carriage of the latter’s slate of sports channels.

Through the multi-year deal, Canal Plus subscribers in France will continue to receive BeIN’s slate of pay-TV sports channels as a part of their subscription at no added cost, with Canal also maintaining its position as the exclusive third-party platform distributor of BeIN Sports in France.

This deal means that Canal Plus customers both directly, and through its third parties, will have access to games from France’s top-tier Ligue 1 soccer competition broadcast on BeIN.

Earlier this month the French-Qatari broadcaster secured a package of Ligue 1 rights starting with the upcoming 2024-25 season and running through the end of the 2028-29 campaign, rights that see the broadcaster air the top fixture each week, or the second biggest game every other round for €100 million ($109 million) per year.

Canal Plus declined to bid on the rights as a result of the fallout of a long-term feud between the media group and French soccer’s LFP governing body regarding rights valuations in the previous cycle.

In a statement, BeIN Sports has now said: “This new deal is testament to the partnership of trust, respect and understanding that Canal Plus and BeIN Sports have developed over many years – both in France and worldwide – and the two leading sports, entertainment and media groups look forward to exploring ways to collaborate further with the collective mission of growing sport in France and worldwide.”

Other high-profile sports rights held by BeIN in France include French soccer’s second-tier Ligue 2, Spanish soccer’s top-tier LaLiga, and tennis’ Wimbledon Grand Slam tournament.

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