Former LFP Media CEO hits back at Ligue 1 Plus criticism | OneFootball

Jean-Pierre Rivere had initially left OGC Nice last summer before then returning to his role as president, following the exit of Fabrice Bocquet. 

Last summer, it was agreed that the LFP would launch its own in-house broadcaster, a response to the TV broadcasting rights crisis. It was a crisis that deepened when DAZN pulled out of their deal to broadcast Ligue 1 for a five-year cycle after just one season. 

The decision to launch Ligue 1 Plus, the in-house broadcaster, has been criticised by Rivere, who spoke on Nice-Matin show Gym Tonic last week. “I think that we have made a strategic error with Ligue 1 Plus,” said the Nice president.

He added, “Canal Plus were ready to enter the fray.” However, Nicolas Tavernost, who has resigned from his role as CEO of LFP Media, has hit back on social media. “Following Rivere’s comments, I will remind [you] that the Ligue 1 Presidents, including Rivere, unanimously voted for the creation of Ligue 1 Plus, the result of a satisfactory alternative,” began Tavernost on X (formerly Twitter).

He added, “His intervention with Canal Plus, with whom he says he is close, led to nothing.” With Ligue 1 Plus failing to secure the broadcasting rights for this summer’s World Cup, there are concerns about subscriber retention and, by extension, about the whole project. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle