French Channel D8 Acquires Three Years Of Champions League Finals Rights

Canal+-owned French TV channel D8 has acquired the broadcast rights to “the next three Champions League finals,” according to Étienne Moatti of L’ÉQUIPE. D8 purchased the rights to the next final, to be played May 28 in Milan, as well as the next two in ’17 and ’18. The final match, normally broadcast on TF1, “was purchased from beIN Sports, which holds the rights.” The price D8 paid is reportedly more than €3M ($3.3M) per year. For Canal+, it is the first “major reaction since the channel lost the English Premier League rights to Altice” (L’ÉQUIPE, 12/9).

NFL RIGHTS: L’ÉQUIPE reported French TV channel W9 announced the renewal of its broadcasting rights for the NFL Super Bowl in France “for the next three years.” W9 has shown the Super Bowl since ’10, and will co-broadcast the game with beIN Sports. Vincent Couëffé and former French NFL player Richard Tardits will announce the game. In September, beIN Sports renewed its own broadcasting rights deal with the NFL for three years.  (L’ÉQUIPE, 12/8).