Ligue 1’s commercial troubles persist as the league continues to lag behind its competitors, says GlobalData

With the value of its media rights only weighing in at approximately $791 million, Ligue 1 continues to lag way behind its rivals, says GlobalData. The leading data and analytics company notes that the league’s media landscape looks barren, with the likelihood of a renewal with Canal+ doubtful given the broadcaster’s fury at the fallout from the collapse of a financially lucrative deal with Mediapro last summer.

GlobalData’s report, ‘The Business of Ligue 1’, reveals that since Ligue 1 is locked into a contract with Canal+ until the end of the 2023-24 season, the situation is unlikely to improve in the next two years. Canal+ have made attempts to extricate itself from the deal, but multiple French courts have decreed that it must fulfil the terms of the agreement.

Tanveer Aujla, Sport Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “In order to improve upon its current financial outlook, Ligue 1 will need to generate more interest in the league to boost viewership. Sport is at its least interesting to viewers when it isn’t competitive, and PSG’s rampant dominance both on and off the pitch represents a serious obstacle to the growth in viewership of French soccer.”

PSG’s commercial power completely overwhelms the league as the value of its sponsorship deals dwarfs the rest of the league by an enormous margin. It is hard to engage viewers in a league where the champions are likely a foregone conclusion. Even in seasons where other teams have won the league, those teams quickly get pulled apart due to their players being sought after by other European clubs.

Aujla notes: “The reality is that many French teams survive by selling their best players to other teams, so they can only remain competitive for short windows before having to revamp their team. PSG is the only team in the league to which this doesn’t apply, as it is able to pay salaries that rival any other club in the world. This vicious cycle is what is keeping the status quo in France and will likely continue to do so for years to come unless Ligue 1 or the French Football Federation intervene with some meaningful legislation.”