OneFootball bags Brazilian FTA Ligue 1 rights

Digital football media company OneFootball will broadcast France’s Ligue 1 for free in Brazil.

Interest in Ligue 1 is high in Brazil, with national team superstar Neymar playing for league champions Paris Saint-Germain, along with compatriots Marquinhos and Lucas Paqueta.

The FTA deal comes in partnership with BeIN Media Group and was facilitated by sports business agency Sportfive, with OneFootball now the exclusive broadcasting partner of Ligue de Football Professionel (LFP) in Brazil.

The football app will stream a minimum of six matches for free per matchday, with highlights made available shortly after matches.

This is the latest broadcast deal for OneFootball in Brazil, with the app also having rights to the German Bundesliga in Brazil and across Latin America. Across the app and social media, OneFootball reaches 70 million fans globally.

Lucas von Cranach, CEO and founder of OneFootball, said: “To be able to stream live action from Ligue 1, one of the biggest leagues in the world, directly to fans throughout Brazil solidifies our presence in the market and is a big step in the evolution of our company. Brazil’s new generation of football fans will have the opportunity to watch matches featuring some of their favourite stars, live and for free, at their fingertips. We are delighted with this partnership as we continue our mission to democratize live football around the world.”

Martin Aurenche, vice president of Sports Content and Acquisitions at beIN Media Grou said: “In the age of new media we’re excited to work with OneFootball, and partnering with this group provides a great opportunity to strengthen Ligue 1’s position in Brazil, as it gives fans new and accessible ways to watch French football. This is against a backdrop of the international profile of Ligue 1 going from strength to strength, with record international audiences, increased media coverage, and growing social media engagement. This is replicated on the pitch with the league attracting and developing the very best football talent, as shown by the strong performances of PSG and Lyon in last season’s UEFA Champions League.”

The deal comes at a time when the LFP is in a stand-off with domestic rights holder Mediapro over non-payment of €172 million rights fee installment. The rights holder has seen its credit rating downgraded over its refusal to pay, and continues to insist on renegotiating its deal in light of the current pandemic-hit economic climate.