Ligue 1 re-ups with beIN Sports in United States through 2029

While some European soccer leagues have headed for greener pastures in recent years, France’s Ligue 1 has stuck with long-time partner beIN Sports in the United States, and that partnership will continue in the near future. The deal also includes Canadian rights.

Per a Friday announcement, beIN has retained the rights to Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 through the 2028-29 season on a five-year deal.

Antonio Briceño, Managing Director US & Canada for beIN Sports, touted the new deal in the release.

As we continue our commitment to bringing the best in international sports to our audiences, beIN SPORTS is proud to maintain its exclusive broadcasting rights for Ligue 1 & 2 in the US and Canada. This partnership underscores our dedication to delivering top-tier football content to our viewers, as we remain focused on providing unparalleled coverage and a premium viewing experience for fans across North America.

The deal brings a minimum of four live Ligue 1 matches each matchweek to beIN, along with coverage of both Ligue 2 and the Trophee des Champions (essentially, France’s version of the cup winner vs league champion super cup) each season.

French soccer has been teetering on the edge of financial collapse for several seasons now after Ligue 1’s deal with Mediapro collapsed, which led to a far less lucrative deal with Amazon. Last month, Ligue 1 agreed to a five-year domestic media rights deal with beIN and DAZN for a reported €500 million annually, far lower than the €840 million the league was seeking. Domestically, Ligue 1’s annual rights payments have decreased in every cycle since the Mediapro deal collapsed and are even lower now than they were during the four-year cycles from 2016-20 before Mediapro came into frame.

[beIN Sports]