France/TV rights contract extensions: "No major reservations" according to the Competition Authority

The draft decree aimed at extending the maximum duration of contracts concluded for the marketing of the audiovisual exploitation rights referred to in Article R. 333-3 of the French Sports Code from four to five years "does not, in principle, give rise to any major reservations," according the French Competition Authority in an opinion issued on 26/07 and published on 14/09/2023 (document available download), i.e. five days after the publication in the Journal Officiel of the text to which it refers and two days after the Ligue de Football Professionnel launched the call for tenders for the domestic rights to Ligue 1 Uber Eats and Ligue 2 BKT matches for the 2024-2029 cycle.

"According to the authors of the text, this extension is likely to encourage the entry of new operators into the market for the acquisition of Ligue 1 rights, stimulate buying competition and generate an increase in the LFP's revenue, to the benefit of the entire football ecosystem. While the Authority's investigation has not confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed measure in terms of its objective, it has…