Ligue 1+ platform launches, targets one million subscribers within a year

Every new Ligue 1 season brings its new broadcaster. Although this year, it's a little different: the Professional Football League (LFP) has taken matters into its own hands to offer its own platform, Ligue 1+ , which has been available for subscription since Monday, August 11. This comes just days before the start of the 2025-2026 season, which kicks off this Friday, August 15, with the Rennes-Olympique de Marseille match. Ligue 1+ will broadcast eight of the league's nine matches per matchday. The final match is still held, for one more season, by BeIn Sports.

The LFP has learned its lesson from last year's launch of DAZN subscriptions, at prices that were deemed excessive at the time. This time, the rates seem more affordable: €14.99 per month for a twelve-month subscription (the first three months are €9.99 for a subscription purchased before August 31). The no-commitment subscription is €19.99 per month. Both offers can also be shared between two users who are connected simultaneously, without necessarily being in the same household.

Other subscriptions are available for single users: a no-commitment mobile pass for €14.99, and an offer for those under 26 for €9.99. "A policy with pricing [a pricing, editor's note] adapted to win over subscribers, combat piracy and take into account the fact that there is not total exclusivity on the nine matches," noted the project manager of Ligue 1+, Nicolas de Tavernost, general director of LFP Media, in a press briefing Friday morning.

The platform's distributors (and there are many) will also be able to offer their own deals. In addition to its own app and website, Ligue 1+ will also be available via telecom operators Orange, Bouygues, SFR, and Free, as well as via the Molotov app and the platforms (and former broadcasters) DAZN and Prime Video (Amazon). The latter already unveiled an additional discount this Monday, with a subscription at €12.99 per month, with a one-year commitment (an introductory offer available until August 31). For its part, DAZN is also offering an introductory offer, with a subscription at €9.99 for the first three months, then €14.99 per month (with a one-year commitment), but including other sports rights held by the British platform, such as the Italian Serie A or the French basketball championship.

One notable absentee remains: Canal +, which refused to distribute the channel, notably due to a dispute over its previous contract with the LFP (in 2021, Canal and its partner BeIn Sports complained about having to pay more for two matches per matchday than Amazon paid for eight matches). Does the group owned by Vincent Bolloré want to undermine Ligue 1+? This is what many observers perceived in Canal +'s announcement that it would broadcast the Premier League match Liverpool-Bournemouth free of charge on the evening of Friday, August 15, at the same time as the opening match of Ligue 1.

Finally, what will we find on Ligue 1+? In addition to the live broadcast of eight matches per matchday, the platform, which will go on air on Friday from 7:15 p.m., will offer two magazine programs every weekend: 90 + 1 presented by Marina Lorenzo, on Saturdays in the second part of the evening, and Club , on Sunday evenings, presented by Thibault Le Rol. Documentary series dedicated to Paris FC and the final season of OGC Nice defender Dante will also be broadcast during the season, as will "legendary matches" from Ligue 1, re-commented for the occasion. Is this enough for the League to succeed in its goal? It is aiming for one million subscribers by the end of the season.