A Ligue 1 match available on free TV every week? After several delays, the National Assembly is finally reviewing the proposed law (PPL) aimed at restructuring French football. As revealed in May, the bill includes an amendment requiring one fixture from the French top flight to be shown on an unencrypted channel each matchday.

“This would undoubtedly boost the visibility of domestic football”

Currently, watching Ligue 1 requires a subscription to the Ligue1+ platform, starting at €15 per month. The service has around one million subscribers. “The proliferation of broadcasters for different sports competitions, and therefore the multiplication of paid subscriptions, is driving spectators away from sporting events and encouraging piracy,” explain the MPs who tabled the amendment. “To ensure the widest possible access to professional competitions, each sale of television broadcasting rights should include a package for the free-to-air broadcast of one match per week. Showing one Ligue 1 match for free every weekend would undoubtedly help promote national football. This proposal comes from the 2021 information mission on audiovisual broadcasting rights for sports events led by MP Cédric Roussel.”

“Two years ago, the Professional Football League estimated that 22 million French people were interested in Ligue 1,” recalls sports economist Pierre Rondeau. “Out of those 22 million, only one million subscribe to Ligue1+. There is huge potential to capture a new audience. If they are told it is free, maybe one, two or four million would tune in.”

The LFP disagrees, arguing that free access could reduce the value of broadcasting rights, which account for more than 50% of clubs’ revenues. Lobbying by the league and television channels on MPs has been intense since the announcement and continues ahead of Monday’s examination.

The PPL was already adopted by the Senate last year and then by a parliamentary committee in May, where the amendment was added. After the lower house debate on Monday, the bill can still be amended by a joint committee scheduled for July 21. The text covers a wide range of issues: anti-piracy measures, stronger roles for federations and the sports ministry in governing professional leagues, regulated redistribution of audiovisual revenues, and caps on executives’ salaries.