Broadcasting rights: TF1 will not engage in a bidding war with Canal+
The TF1 channel director reveals in the Figaro that the first channel does not intend to outbid Canal+'s offer for the broadcasting rights of the Grand Prix from 2013 to 2015, even though he insists that the final decision has not been made.
This week, the daily newspaper L’Equipe revealed that Canal+ came out on top with an offer of 27 million euros, higher than TF1’s, during the first round of the bidding process for the broadcast rights of the Grand Prix, from 2013 to 2015.
In an interview with Figaro, Jean-François Lancelier, director of programming for the leading channel, however, states that TF1 has no intention of putting more money on the table: « The deal isn’t done, but we won’t be overbidding! »
Indeed, since 1992 the leading European channel has been broadcasting the Grand Prix without interruption and is currently paying broadcasting rights estimated at $40 million per year, or 31 million euros. Faced with competition from historical players – Canal+ – and new entrants in the French market – beIN Sport -, TF1 refuses to engage in bidding wars and remains firm in its desire to reduce its sports broadcasting costs, confident that it has more to offer than its rivals in terms of exposure: “With Nonce Paolini, we are focusing on strategic investments,” explains Jean-François Lancelier. “When you see the score of the French team [in football, editor’s note] last week or the scores from the Rugby World Cup last year, I think we should continue with these events. However, the Champions League no longer justified the price levels being demanded. The federations need to understand that exposure on TF1 has real value for their sport. In the medium term, it seems to me that they have more to lose by leaving us. Today, the Champions League struggles to gather viewers.”
Thus, the future of Formula 1 on French television seems increasingly likely to unfold on Canal+, even though Jean-François Lancelier has not mentioned any potential sharing of broadcasting rights between TF1 and another channel, whether free or paid.
