LFP launches consultation on TV rights ahead of reserve fund depletion
The Ligue de Football Professionnel must approve on Tuesday, 20 October 2026, the launch of a call for bids for Ligue 1 TV rights, aimed at offsetting the imminent end of distributive aid from the reserve fund.
Key takeaways
- The LFP must formalise on Tuesday 20 October 2026 the launch of a call for bids for Ligue 1's TV rights.
- The call for bids aims to generate revenues to offset the end of aid distributed via the reserve fund.
- The formal procedure will define the modalities, timetable and selection criteria for broadcasters.
- The amounts, contract duration and lot allocation were not specified in the announcement.
- Consultation will begin before the reserve fund aid mechanisms are exhausted.
A decision to be formalised at this Tuesday, 20 October 2026
The Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) must formalise on Tuesday, 20 October 2026 the launch of a formal consultation concerning the sale of Ligue 1 broadcasting rights. This process takes the form of a call for bids that will officially open the selection process for broadcasters for the upcoming rights periods.
Objective: offset the disappearance of the reserve fund
The stated objective of this consultation is to enable professional clubs to recover financial resources as the aid received via the reserve fund comes to an end. The opening of the call for bids is presented as a step designed to generate new revenues from the sale of audiovisual rights.
Procedural framework
The LFP will therefore initiate a formal consultation process that must define the modalities for bringing the rights lots to market, the calendars, and the selection criteria for bids. The call for bids is planned to be launched before the exhaustion of the aid mechanisms tied to the reserve fund, in order to anticipate the financial transition for the clubs.
Stakes for the clubs
Restarting a call for bids for broadcasting rights represents a potential source of direct revenues for Ligue 1 clubs. In the short term, the consultation aims to identify partners capable of offering stable and substantial income to compensate for the end of exceptional payments linked to the reserve fund.
Schedule and next steps
The formal decision to launch the consultation must be formalised at the meeting scheduled for Tuesday, 20 October 2026. After this validation, the LFP will prepare the call for bids documents and specify the timetable for receiving and reviewing bids from interested broadcasters.
Uncertainties and limits of the announcement
The announcement does not detail the targeted amounts, the duration of upcoming contracts, or the exact distribution of lots among different time slots and platforms (linear television, digital platforms). Operational and financial specifics should appear in the consultation documents once published.
Your questions, our answers
Who launches the call for bids and when?
The Ligue de Football Professionnel launches the consultation; the decision to launch must be formalised on Tuesday 20 October 2026.
What is the main objective of this call for bids?
The objective is to generate revenues from TV rights to offset the end of aid distributed via the reserve fund.
Are the financial details and contract durations known?
No, the amounts targeted, the duration of the contracts and the distribution of lots were not specified in the announcement.