Canal+ signs new non-exclusive deal with BeIN Sports

Canal+ has signed a new non-exclusive distribution deal with rival BeIN Sports following the French competition watchdog’s refusal to greenlight the pair’s planned exclusive partnership, according to local press.

The deal between the Qatar-owned sports broadcaster and the Vivendi-owned pay TV outfit gives BeIN Sports a guaranteed source of revenues for several years, while the service will remain potentially available via other providers such as Orange, Free or SFR, according to BFM TV, which broke the story.

The agreement is a renewal of a deal originally struck in 2012 that sees BeIN Sports receive revenues in line with the number of subscribers signed up for its service via Canal+.

Under the exclusive partnership sought by the pair but vetoed in June by the competition regulator, Canal+ would have paid €400 million a year to secure exclusive carriage of BeIN Sports on its pay TV service.

In rejecting an exclusive tie-up, the country’s competition authority ruled “that the conditions are not currently satisfied to lift the ban on exclusive broadcasting of premium sports” imposed on Canal+ in 2012 years ago, which is not due to expire until 2017.