Ligue 1: DAZN & Free enter agreement for free near-live broadcasts on the Free FOOT app

French telecoms operator Free has entered into a partnership with the British OTT platform DAZN to "offer free and exclusive access to near-live highlights of Ligue 1 McDonald's matches on the new Free FOOT app," announced the two parties on 14/08/2024.

Free, which claims "22.7 million subscribers", had acquired the near-live broadcasting rights (digital package) to Ligue 1 over the 2020-2024 cycle for €42m per season on 29/05/2018 and since 2020 had been offering a €3.99 per month no-commitment deal (free for Free subscribers) for near-live content, while goals, match summaries and editorial content produced by its teams remained accessible to all free of charge.

In 2024-25, the subsidiary of the Iliad Group is therefore offering a 100% free service on its app (available on IOS and Android) thanks to its agreement with DAZN, which has acquired the exclusive broadcasting rights to eight games (out of nine) per matchday, including the top 10 fixtures each season, from the French top flight for an annual sum of €400m over the 2024-2029 cycle.

"Thanks to the Free FOOT application, sports…