The call for tenders for the television rights of Les Bleues and Division 1 was initially postponed from May 3 to 12. A month later, after over-the-counter negotiations between the French Football Federation (FFF) and the broadcaster candidates, women’s football viewers finally know which channel they should watch.
The matches of the French women’s team will be broadcast on France Télévisions and W9 during the next four seasons (2023-2027), the FFF announced on Tuesday, also specifying a new agreement until 2029 with Canal which contains the French championship .
These choices were endorsed during an executive committee of the federation on Tuesday. However, they do not concern the broadcast of the World Cup, organized from July 20 to August 20 in Australia and New Zealand, the rights of which have still not been allocated.
After the World Cup, the matches of Les Bleues will in any case be broadcast on W9, the current broadcaster, as well as on France 2 and France 3, from the 2023-2024 season until the 2026-2027 season. This includes the new Nations League, Euro 2025 and World Cup 2027 qualifying, and all friendlies in the period.
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This collaboration “will offer unprecedented exposure to our Bleues who will benefit from the combined power of two major audiovisual groups”, welcomed the president of the FFF, Philippe Diallo, quoted in a press release, but who did not detail the amounts. financial of these agreements.
The French championship (women’s D1) will continue to be broadcast by the Canal group until 2029, but under different conditions from the current contract.
Each day, two posters will have the honor of a “bonus” live “on the channels and services of the Canal group”, Friday and Sunday evening at 9 p.m. The private channel will also broadcast the final championship tournament scheduled for next season, i.e. the semi-finals, the final and the match for third place.
The other matches will be broadcast on the Vivendi group’s Dailymotion channel. “The contract also includes the broadcast of the Champions Trophy”, between the French champion team and the winner of the Coupe de France, writes the FFF.
These are “two major and innovative TV partnerships”, “revealing the growth potential and the image of women’s football in the world and in France”, insisted the former president of Olympique Lyonnais, Jean-Michel Aulas, member of the executive committee in charge of high-level women’s football.