French Court Rejects Canal+'s Attempt To Stop LFP From Starting Tendering Process

A French court "has rejected" the attempt of pay-TV channel Canal+ "to prevent the French Professional Football League" (LFP) from starting the tendering process for Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 TV rights for three seasons beginning in '16, according to DIGITAL TV EUROPE. The Paris court "decided that there was no evidence to warrant an immediate ruling on the matter." Canal+ "filed for an immediate suspension of the call for bids on the grounds that making such a call two years ahead of the relevant period raises competition concerns." Canal+ complained that "kicking off the bidding process so far in advance could result in losing subscribers or failing to gain new customers" as a result of the uncertainty about the future of the rights. This "could be the case if Canal+'s rival beIN Sport, owned by Al Jazeera, wins a significant portion of the rights" (DIGITAL TV EUROPE, 3/31).