DAZN settle €35m debt with Ligue 1 | OneFootball

In a dispute with the LFP, broadcaster DAZN refused to pay their February payment for the Ligue 1 broadcasting rights in full at the start of February, however, the issue has now been resolved, for now.

DAZN decided to withhold a sum of €35m this month, an amount that was to be distributed to the 18 Ligue 1 clubs, amid a dispute with the LFP. DAZN claimed that the LFP had not respected the contract, signed at the start of the season when the broadcasting rights for the current five-year cycle were awarded. Notably, the LFP were accused of not allocating sufficient resources in the fight against piracy, whilst the broadcaster also noted a lack of participation and collaboration from certain clubs in terms of content, which would improve the quality of content offered.

DAZN have been vocally displeased with the current state of affairs with only 500,000 users subscribing to their Ligue 1 package. That is significantly below a break-even figure, thought to be around 1.5 million. Amid this dispute, the LFP took DAZN to court and a verdict was expected on Friday.

Ultimately, before that verdict fell, DAZN have settled their debt, paying the LFP the €35m due. The tensions have now been eased, at least for now. “We have to look forward because we, the clubs, fans and more globally, lovers of French football, have a common interest in DAZN performing well and gaining more followers,” LFP president Vincent Labrune said upon the announcement of the news.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle