Mediapro In Mediation With Ligue 1, Intends To Honor Contract

Mediapro President Jaume Roures said that his company and the French Ligue de Football Professionnel have "entered into mediation proceedings" over €172M ($203M) in unpaid fees for the rights to Ligue 1, a "legal process which could take up to" five months. Roures several weeks ago "launched an immense panic" throughout French soccer by announcing that he "wanted to renegotiate" part of Mediapro's four-year, €3.12B ($3.69B) Ligue 1 rights deal due to the coronavirus pandemic (LE PARISIEN, 10/22).

Roures reiterated that Mediapro is seeking a price change "only for this season." He said, "The contract is here to stay, that's what we want. The only think we ask is that we adapt things for this season" (L'EQUIPE, 10/22). Roures indicated that, since mediation is ongoing, Mediapro "does not intend to pay" its next rights payment due on Dec. 5 -- also for €172M ($203M) (L'EQUIPE, 10/22).