Mediawan, a prominent production and distribution company known for projects such as Plan B and See-Saw Films, has been selected by the Professional League of Football (LPF) to create content for its new channel dedicated to Ligue 1, France’s premier football league.
Under its sports division, Mediawan will be responsible for producing matches and related programming for the channel. The CEO of Mediawan, Pierre-Antoine Capton, who is a passionate soccer fan and co-owns the SM Caen team with Kylian Mbappé, played a key role in securing this production role.
The newly launched direct-to-consumer channel, operated by LFP Media and overseen by Nicolas de Tavernost, former head of M6 (France’s second-largest commercial channel), will offer a subscription service priced at 14.99 euros per month. The channel will broadcast eight live matches per day starting from August 9, with the ninth match being aired by beIN Sports until the end of the 2025-2026 season.
Ligue 1 has faced challenges in recent years following the end of partnerships with Canal+ and DAZN. After a dispute with DAZN, the streaming service agreed to non-exclusive rights to broadcast nine matches of the Ligue 1 championship and was ordered by a French court to pay an indemnity of €85 million for breach of contract.
In response to these challenges, the French Professional League has restructured its ownership, with French clubs and private equity now holding stakes in the organization, mirroring the successful model of the Premier League.
Despite these setbacks, French football is currently experiencing success, with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) defeating Real Madrid in the FIFA World Cup semi-final with a score of 4-0. PSG is set to face Chelsea in the final on Sunday, further boosting the profile of French soccer on the international stage.
