BT Sport will remain the exclusive home of Ligue 1 football in the UK for three more seasons.
The new deal extends the pay-TV broadcaster’s eight-year partnership with the French top-flight, with several live matches to be shown each week and more than 200 top-flight clashes available per season.
BT Sport’s new French football deal coverage will also include the Trophee des Champions, the annual clash between the Ligue 1 champions and the winners of the Coupe de France, as well as a range of support programmes covering Ligue 1.
The Ligue 1 promotion/relegation play-off clashes at the end of each season will also be available on BT Sport, as a team from Ligue 2 battles it out with a top division counterpart for a place in the big time.
Commenting on retaining the rights, which BT Sport has held since its inception in 2013, Rachel Knight, BT’s sports rights director, said:
“We want to provide customers with the best sport from across the world and to deepen our relationships with the best leagues and competitions, so we are delighted to secure continued coverage of Ligue 1 Uber Eats until 2024.
“European football has always been a key part of our line up, with exclusive coverage of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League alongside other domestic European football leagues.”
It promises to be an intriguing Ligue 1 campaign in 2021/22 as Paris Saint-Germain bid to reclaim the title Lille wrestled from them so impressively in May.
France was the location of the best title race in Europe last season, with just five points separating the top three of Lille, Paris St-Germain and Monaco at its conclusion.
Christophe Galtier, who has since left for Rennes, guided surprise packages Lille to their first title in 10 seasons, ending a run of three straight Ligue 1 successes for the Parisians.
Mathieu Ficot, Deputy CEO, Ligue de Football Professionnel, added:
“Visible on BT Sport since the launch of the channel back in 2013, Ligue 1 Uber Eats enjoyed a large exposure and high-quality editorial treatment in the UK and Ireland.
“We are glad to expand this collaboration up to 2024 and look forward to offering another exciting football season to our British and Irish fans.”
French football will continue to compliment BT Sport’s coverage of the Premier League and the three UEFA competitions – Champions League, Europa League and Conference League.
BT’s contract to show German Bundesliga football, which it has also covered since 2013, expired at the end of the 2020/21 season.
For a full list of all forthcoming major football matches on the box, visit SOTB’s dedicated football TV listings page.
