M6, Canal Plus snap up French women’s football rights

The French Football Federation has awarded commercial broadcaster M6 and pay-television broadcaster Canal Plus rights for the country’s leading women’s football and youth-level football properties.

M6 has snapped up the rights to lot one, featuring coverage of the French women’s national team.

Canal Plus has been awarded lots two and three, covering the D1 top women's domestic division and the French men’s national youth teams, respectively.

The deals will run for five seasons, from 2018-19 to 2022-23. The sales process launched just over a month ago.

Rival broadcasters SFR and beIN Sports also submitted offers, according to FFF president Noël Le Graët.

M6 broadcast coverage of the Uefa Women’s European Championships in 2013 and the Fifa Women’s World Cup in 2015.

Canal Plus sports director Thierry Cheleman said that the broadcaster would show every single game from the D1 competition.

The FFF will receive a total of €5.4m ($6.4m) per season in the new rights cycle, up from €1.8m per season in the current cycle, according to French daily newspaper L'Équipe.