Lens President Criticizes French Football League’s TV Rights Management

In a recent interview, Racing Club de Lens president Joseph Oughourlian strongly criticized the Ligue de Football Professional (LFP) and its president Vincent Labrune for their management of French football’s TV rights. Oughourlian, who opposed the deal with DAZN last summer, maintains his stance and further condemns the league’s long-term handling of broadcasting rights.

“There’s a fundamental issue here,” Oughourlian stated. “We can’t keep switching broadcasters every few years and fragmenting our product. This has resulted in losing our core audience – the football fans who subscribe to pay-TV. The League and its president must take responsibility for this.”

The Lens president went on to say, “The DAZN situation is even more problematic than Mediapro.” He referred to the 2020-2021 season when the Mediapro group’s Téléfoot channel lasted only a few months, causing significant financial distress to French football clubs already struggling due to the pandemic. “With Mediapro, we could say it was a mistake we wouldn’t repeat. But with DAZN, they’ve persisted with this error and lost the consumer base.”

Recently, Ligue 1 presidents convened for a second time to address the ongoing TV rights crisis and the conflict between the LFP and DAZN. Reports suggest that tensions have escalated during these discussions. DAZN is allegedly withholding payments for domestic TV rights, citing a ‘perceived lack of loyalty’ from Ligue 1 clubs, and is considering legal action against the LFP.

This situation has left Ligue 1 clubs in a precarious financial position. They were expecting to receive €57 million in TV rights money, but have only received beIN Sports’ minor contribution so far. The ongoing dispute highlights the challenges facing French football’s financial ecosystem and raises questions about the league’s strategy for managing broadcast partnerships.