By Andy Marston, Sports Pundit
The dispute between DAZN and Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) over Ligue 1’s domestic TV rights has escalated, with DAZN now demanding €573M from the league in damages.
DAZN withheld payments to Ligue 1 clubs, arguing they were misled about potential subscriber growth when signing their €375M per year broadcast deal.
The platform claims inadequate piracy protections and lack of exclusive editorial content from clubs have hurt its ability to grow Ligue 1’s audience.
DAZN has taken legal action in Paris' Commercial Court, demanding €264M for breach of contract and €309M for market dishonesty.
French outlet L’Équipe suggests this legal battle could drag on for months, if not years, as DAZN looks to recover losses.
Why It Matters:
There was a time when rightsholders simply took a cheque from a broadcaster and moved on—those days are over. The market has shifted, and today, broadcasting is a shared-risk partnership between leagues and media platforms.
The pressure is now on leagues and clubs to actively help drive engagement and subscriptions—not just collect rights fees. As traditional models struggle and streaming-first deals take center stage, expect more friction between rightsholders and broadcasters as both fight to protect their bottom line.
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