Will a Ligue 1 game soon be available free every week? After several delays, the National Assembly is examining the proposed law (PPL) to overhaul French football. The PPL contains an amendment that would require one match from the top division to be shown on a free-to-air channel each matchday.

“It Would Undeniably Boost the Exposure of National Football”

Currently, watching Ligue 1 requires a subscription to the Ligue1+ platform, starting at €15 per month. The platform has around one million subscribers. “The increasing number of broadcasters for various sports competitions, and thus the multiplication of paid subscriptions, is pushing viewers away from sports events and encouraging piracy,” say the deputies behind the amendment. “To allow the broadest possible access to these professional competitions, it would be appropriate to include, each time television broadcast rights are sold, a package for the free-to-air broadcast of one match per week. Showing one Ligue 1 match free every weekend would undeniably boost the exposure of national football. This proposal comes from the report of the information mission on audiovisual broadcasting rights for sports events, led by deputy Cédric Roussel in 2021.”

Pourra-t-on bientôt regarder un match de ligue 1 gratuitement chaque semaine ?

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“Two years ago, the Professional Football League (LFP) estimated that 22 million French people were interested in Ligue 1,” notes sports economist Pierre Rondeau. “Out of those 22 million, only one million subscribe to Ligue1+. There is huge potential to capture a new audience. If people are told it’s free, maybe one, two, or four million would watch on television.”

The LFP does not share that view. It opposes the amendment, arguing that free access could reduce the value of broadcasting rights, which account for more than 50% of club revenues. Lobbying by the league and television channels ahead of the parliamentary review has been intense.

The PPL was already adopted by the Senate last year, and later in committee at the National Assembly in May (where this amendment was added). After Monday’s debate in the hemicycle, the text can still be modified by the joint committee (CMP) scheduled for July 21. The bill covers a wide range of issues: anti-piracy measures, a strengthened role for federations and the Ministry of Sports in governing professional leagues, regulated redistribution of audiovisual revenues, and capped executive compensation.