Broadcasters beIN Sport, TF1 and M6 "will shell out a record" €110M ($143M) to air Euro 2016 in France, according to L'EQUIPE. BeIN Sport, the pay-TV Qatari channel, will pay more than half (€60M/$78M) to show all the matches, 51 in total. Free-to-air channels TF1 and M6 will pay €25M each to air 11 matches. These games will be aired at the same time as beIN Sport's broadcast. Overall, "less than half the matches will be seen on free-to-air TV." In France, for the Euro, if the national team makes it to the semifinals or further, a law guarantees these games will have to air on a free-to-air channel (L'EQUIPE, 3/12).
BIGGER DEAL: LE FIGARO wrote "one more time, beIN Sport has demonstrated the impact of its arrival in the market of sports media rights." According to sources, the figures of the deal revealed by L'Equipe "are actually a lot less than reality." For Euro 2008, UEFA was able to bring in €100M for the rights in France. The new deal represents at least a 10% increase (LE FIGARO, 3/12). The NOUVEL OBSERVATEUR wrote "for the first time in the history of a European football championship" people in France will have to pay to see all the matches (NOUVEL OBSERVATEUR, 3/12).
