How Ligue 1+ plans to manage its three-month summer billing gap | OneFootball

Ligue 1+ faces a three-month lull from mid-May to mid-August without Ligue 1 or World Cup coverage, prompting a rethink on subscriber billing.

According to L'Équipe, beIN Sports took the 2026 World Cup pay-TV rights at the last moment, leaving the platform a quiet summer. Questions were raised at launch over an annual €14.99 commitment when the season ends on 16 May and restarts in mid-August.

LFP Media had said the commitment was for 12 months, with continuous billing if extra rights were added. Its editorial director had indicated billing could shift to the first two months of the following season if no rights were available, but a deferred option is no longer under consideration for now.

To limit any summer shortfall, Ligue 1+ is expected to lean on July friendlies and possibly early European qualifiers involving French clubs. Canal+ holds UEFA rights from the play-offs, while earlier home ties are sold by clubs and often struggle to find buyers in high summer. Even so, billing all three months in full appears unlikely.

From 2021 to 2024, Amazon Prime Video paused Pass Ligue 1 charges for two months, with Ligue 2 resuming in late July, unlike on Ligue 1+. Last season DAZN kept charging annual-commitment users by leaning on Club World Cup coverage that was free to non-subscribers, which did little to improve its popularity amid a €29.99 monthly fee.

Ligue 1+ cannot risk reputational damage. With 1.2 million subscribers, it needs loyalty as it will show 100% of Ligue 1 next season, and the monthly price is very likely to rise from €14.99 to €19.99. That would be an early test for the successor to Nicolas de Tavernost, should the LFP Media chief formalise his resignation in the coming days.

Source: L'Équipe