Canal+ secures Women’s World Cup rights from TF1

Vivendi-owned French pay TV operator Canal+ has secured the pay TV rights to the FIFA Women’s World Cup from commercial broadcaster TF1.

Under its deal with TF1, Canal+ will air all 52 matches of the tournament, which takes place in France in June and July 2019.

TF1 will meanwhile air the 25 best matches from the competition, including all the matches of the French team, free-to-air. Canal+ will also make these matches available to its subscribers.

“We are delighted with this agreement with Canal+ Group, which enables us together to make available the totality of the competition in the clear and on pay TV. The French public will have access to this major event, with the best fixtures and all the matches of the French team on TF1 Group’s channels. The agreement enables a significant distribution of women’s football to the general public that is inscribed in the event programming strategy of the group,” said François Pellissier, TF1 director of sports.

“We are very happy to be able to offer our subscribers a competition of global reach in its totality. Coming the day after the acquisition of the women’s D1 for the 2018-22 period, this agreement expresses Canal+’s deep engagement with the development and broadcasting of women’s sport in general and football in particular,” said Thierry Cheleman, Canal+’s director of sports.

Canal+ this week secured the rights to the D1 French women’s football championship, while commercial broadcaster M6 – TF1’s rival – secured the rights to matches of the French women’s national team. D1 matches were previously aired by Eurosport and France Télévisions.