Ligue 1 TV rights: "It's wrong to say that we threw in the towel" (Jaume Roures, Mediapro)

"There are three reasons for our failure in France: the lack of possibility to negotiate a discount with the League because of Covid-19, piracy and the aggressive attitude of Canal+. It is wrong to say that we threw in the towel. If we had been able to negotiate, we would still be here," said Jaume Roures, president and founder of the Spanish audiovisual group Mediapro, during his hearing before the French National Assembly as part of the parliamentary inquiry on the broadcasting rights of sports events, on 16/09/2021.

The hearings of this enquiry began on 10/06/2021 and a report will be delivered "in the autumn" of 2021. A total of 55 hearings are planned. The mission, composed of 12 deputies from the Committee on Cultural Affairs and Education, is chaired by Régis Juanico (Génération.s/Loire) and has Cédric Roussel (LREM/Alpes-Maritimes) as rapporteur.

"I came to this hearing even though I was under no obligation to do so. I have nothing to hide. I am not saying that we did everything right. We made mistakes in communication, we perhaps underestimated the relationship with the…